


Someone Else's Survival Guide

by Cithara



Series: Post War Romances [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama, Eventual Romance, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Healing, M/M, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Psychological Trauma, Recovery, Romance, Trauma, Updated weekly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:20:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 60,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26646670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cithara/pseuds/Cithara
Summary: Nearly 10 years after the war, Neville finds an unconscious Draco Malfoy in Knockturn Alley. Acting on impulse, he takes him home to try and help but he's soon to discover that Draco's wounds run deeper than a few cuts and bruises. The road to recovery is a long and painful one but it's always better with someone by your side.
Relationships: Harry Potter/George Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Draco Malfoy
Series: Post War Romances [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938715
Comments: 302
Kudos: 351





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome back to another fic. This is a sequel to my Harry/George fic, 'Call Me Friend But Keep Me Closer' but you don't need to have read that for this to make sense, it simply carries on in the same timeline/universe. It's canon up to the end of book 7 and from there on we use a little artistic license. I hope you enjoy the first chapter, updates will be weekly.

Chapter 1

_January 2007_

Neville hated Knockturn Alley with a passion but it was one of the few places he could get high-quality dragon dung to use as fertiliser and the twitchy sod who sold it insisted on face-to-face transactions. It had always been a terrible place but after the war things had become so much worse. It was a place for the desperate, those on the fringes of society, those who weren't allowed anywhere else.

He hated the trips he had to make there and made them as infrequently as possible, always coming away feeling sullied and depressed. There was so much dark magic bouncing off the walls, so many people who wanted nothing more than to see Voldemort's return and it made Neville's skin crawl to be among them.

Beyond the truly wicked were the truly wretched and Neville felt as though he was some kind of rich noble walking through a slum inhabited by peasants. He couldn't bear the desperate eyes that would follow him through the streets, the looks of sheer misery on the faces that peeked out through the grimy windows.

He went about his business as quickly as he could, wanting nothing more than to return home. He kept his head down, trying to ignore the people he passed and made his way to Frank Birch's shop, pulling his cloak tightly around himself to ward off the biting January cold. They were only a few days into the new year and he'd been told to enjoy the holidays, mostly by Harry, but he had a business to run and it waited for no man.

He bought what he needed from Birch, after haggling with the man as usual. He was thoroughly unpleasant and Neville resolved to find a decent supplier who wouldn't try to rob him blind and whose premises was in a better place. He was determined to get home as soon as possible and he walked quickly through the stinking streets, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

There was a loud fracas coming from the end of the street and Neville swore under his breath, hoping he could make it past without incident. The shouts grew louder and it sounded like an almighty scuffle was taking place inside as something heavy crashed against a wall.

"Get him out of here!" a deep voice growled.

"You can't do this!"

"You haven't paid me any rent in weeks and you're not bringing in any punters. I want you out!"

There was another crash and a body came flying out of the building so fast it smacked into the wall opposite and crumpled to the floor. "Fucking hell," Neville hissed, going immediately to the man's side as a crowd began to form. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted at the men standing in the doorway who had ejected the bloke.

"He had it coming," one of them snarled.

"Bloody idiots," Neville spat, turning his attention to the man who was slumped over on his side, out cold.

"Leave him in the gutter where he belongs," another man jeered and Neville drew his wand.

"If any of you make another move I'll hex you into the middle of next week," he growled, fixing them with his fiercest look.

"Little prick's not worth it," said one of the men with a sneer before he and his mates turned back into the house, slamming the door behind them.

Neville shook his head and pocketed his wand then reached out and pressed his fingers to the man's neck. There was a faint pulse, which was something, but the man was skin and bones and had taken a nasty blow to the head. The best thing would be to get him to the hospital and hope something could be done for him.

He brushed the filthy hair from the man's face and almost lost consciousness himself when he realised who he was crouched beside. "Oh Merlin," he whispered as he looked at the sad, prone form of Draco Malfoy, someone he hadn't seen in nearly ten years and the last person he would expect to see in a place like this.

Quickly weighing up his options, he slid his arms beneath Draco's painfully thin body and lifted him up, Draco's head lolling backwards, revealing more of his face. He was almost unrecognisable and Neville couldn't believe the surreal situation he was in.

He apparated straight home and carried Draco to the spare room, laying him gently on the bed. "What the fuck has happened to you?" he asked in bewilderment, then headed down the stairs and to the living room fireplace. He chucked in a pinch of floo powder and clearly intoned, "The Gables."

After a moment or two, George's face appeared in the flames and he said with a smile, "Morning Nev. What can I do for you?"

"Is that husband of yours around? I have a slight…situation here and I could really use his help."

"Ah…he currently has his head down the bog at the moment. He's…a little under the weather."

"Shit," Neville cursed.

"Not to worry, it's just a blip," George said cheerfully. "Give me a minute and I'll bring him over."

"If he's not well, I don't want to – "

"It's fine," George said with an airy wave, "you know what a drama queen he is. Sit tight, I'll bring him through in a minute."

George disappeared from the flames and Neville perched awkwardly on the armchair beside the fireplace. He cast a look upwards, wondering how the hell he had ended up with an unconscious and emaciated Draco Malfoy in his guestroom. The worst he'd been worried about when he'd left home that morning had been potential failure to fix a good price from rat-faced Birch; he could never have imagined this.

He tapped his fingers agitatedly on his thighs and wondered what the hell he was going to do and how on earth this had become his problem. A million questions raced through his mind but he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answers to any of them.

The fire sputtered to life and Neville jumped to his feet as George stepped through with Harry held tightly to his side. "Merlin, you look rough," Neville said as he took in Harry's green appearance.

"Thanks Nev," Harry said with a laugh as he stayed pressed to his husband's side.

"Should you be here? You look like death warmed up."

"I'm fine, honestly. Just…a little ropey," Harry said, exchanging a wry smile with George. "So what's the trouble? What do you need me for?"

Neville sighed and said, "Follow me," before leading them upstairs to the spare room and Draco's still-unconscious body.

"Holy shit," Harry breathed. "Is that Malfoy?" Neville nodded grimly and Harry said, "What's happened to him? And what's he doing here?"

"Found him in Knockturn. He was thrown against a wall and knocked unconscious."

Neville could already see that Harry had switched to healer mode, his eyes serious and making a professional sweep of Draco's body to get a preliminary idea of his condition.

"I'll examine him," Harry said, extracting his wand and rolling up his sleeves. "Some privacy please, gents."

Neville motioned to George and they left the room and went back downstairs, taking a seat in the cosy living room. "I don't really know what to say," George said, looking as shocked as Neville felt.

"Tell me about it," Neville said with a snort. "No one's seen or heard from him in years and now he's half dead in my spare room."

"Why did you bring him here?"

Neville shook his head and said, "I didn't really think about it. When I realised it was him…I don't know…something told me not to take him to the hospital. Besides, Harry's the best healer I know, made sense to get him to examine Draco."

George nodded. "Yeah that figures. He looks…in a really bad way, more than a knock to the head I mean."

"I know," Neville said with a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "George…the place he was thrown out of…it's not just a boarding house," he said tentatively.

"Oh?" George asked, and Neville knew the man understood. Knockturn Alley was known, amongst a number of other things, for its brothels. It was unthinkable that Draco Malfoy, of all people, could have been brought so low.

They heard the stairs creak and Harry appeared in the living room, quite obviously still in professional mode. He looked serious and grim, and Neville braced himself.

"It's bad," Harry said, looking at George and Neville as he rolled his sleeves back down. "The blow to his head was minimal; he'll have a bump and a hell of a headache but it's the least of his worries. He's severely malnourished and his organs are suffering as a result. He has so many narcotics in his system I'm surprised there's any room left for his blood; he's entirely dependent and he's got both magical and muggle stuff knocking around his system.

"He's taken a few serious beatings at some point and several of his bones have been re-set really badly, he must in awful pain. Lastly," Harry said with a look of sad resignation, "he has syphilis."

"What?" George said, flabbergasted, while Neville knew it only confirmed his suspicions.

"What can you do for him?" Neville asked, wanting to focus on practical things.

"Nothing until he's awake and can give his consent to be treated. If he does that…well…I can help but he has a hell of a long road ahead of him."

"You should contact the hospital, Nev. He isn't your responsibility," George said as he wound his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Want me to contact the intake people?" Harry asked and Neville paused, considering his answer. He had no idea why he didn't just send the man off to St Mungo's and have done with it, he owed nothing to Draco sodding Malfoy after all. Something was stopping him though and he couldn't ignore it.

He shook his head and said, "Let him stay, at least until he wakes up, then he can decide for himself."

"I have to stress," Harry said, looking concerned, "he's seriously ill. He needs a hell of a lot of treatment, including rehab to get him off the cocktail of drugs he's on. If he stays…you're in for a rough ride."

Neville nodded, aware that things would be difficult, to say the least. "He has nowhere else to go," he said with a shrug. "If he doesn't want to stay here then that's fine but…I can't kick him out."

"You're a good bloke, Nev. I doubt the git will appreciate it," George said, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Probably not, but I can't chuck him back to the streets, not in this state."

"Give me a shout when he wakes and I'll come over," Harry said, the green pallor back to his face.

George pulled him closer and said, "Sure you're up to it, love?"

Harry smiled up at his husband and said, "I'll be fine, just need to have a lie-down for a bit."

"Let's get you home then. Good luck with your houseguest, Nev. You're going to need it."

Neville waved them off as they disappeared through the flames, stamping down the desire to beg them to stay and help him figure out what the hell he was going to do. He took a deep breath and scratched the bridge of his nose before reluctantly trudging back up the stairs.

He paused for a moment on the threshold to Draco's room then walked slowly inside, stopping at the bed and looking down at the sad figure on it. Draco's hair was filthy and chin-length, his cheekbones so sharp they looked like they could cut anyone who touched them and his clothes were dirty and riddled with holes. He was painfully thin, his skin, which was covered in sores, stretched tightly over jutting bones.

This wasn't the boy he'd once known, nor was it the man he had imagined Draco might grow into. He couldn't imagine what had happened to bring him so low but he felt saddened to see it. Draco had been a horrible twat all through school and he'd done some truly terrible things towards the end of their time at Hogwarts but he didn't deserve this.

He cast a few cleaning charms on the man's body and clothes. They were rudimentary but anything else would have been inappropriate. He removed Draco's shoes and placed them by the side of the bed then threw up a couple of wards to alert him when Draco woke up. Shaking his head, he left the room and decided to lose himself in his plants for a few hours.

He was elbow-deep in soil when he felt the faint tingle of magic from the wards. "Fuck," he breathed, wiping his hands and glancing across the gardens to the cottage. He had no idea what he was in for or what kind of state Draco had woken up in but he couldn't leave the man alone.

He dusted himself down and headed back to the cottage with trepidation. He found Draco sitting up in bed, rubbing his head and looking around in confusion. "Where the fuck am I?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Calm down, you're safe," Neville said, moving closer slowly, worried that one wrong move would result in Draco bolting.

Draco squinted through a curtain of dirty hair. "Longbottom?" he said incredulously. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Holy fuck. Puberty was kind to you," Draco said, his eyes sweeping broadly up and down Neville's body, Neville trying to subdue the blush that threatened to heat up his face. "What am I doing here?"

Neville braced himself and said, "I was in Knockturn when you were…knocked unconscious. I didn't really know what to do so I brought you here, to my home."

"Why?" Draco asked, baffled.

Neville shrugged and said, "Seemed like the best option. Look…Harry's been over to…examine you. He's a healer," he added quickly, "a bloody good one. He's…given a diagnosis but he won't treat you without your consent."

"Big of him," Draco said with a snort. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his tatty shoes.

"What are you doing?" Neville asked, even though the answer was obvious.

"Leaving," came the curt reply and Neville shook his head with a sigh. "What? Not going to try and stop me? Give me some big speech about how you can help me?"

"What makes you think I can?" Neville returned, unwilling to put up with any of Draco's bullshit. "Look, if you want to go I'm not going to stop you. You think I fancy holding you hostage?"

"Gryffindors don't all grow into want-to-be saints after all then," Draco said with a sneer.

"All I'll say," Neville continued as if Draco hadn't spoken, "is that I'm pretty sure you have nowhere to sleep tonight and that you're so unwell I'll be amazed if you make it to the end of the week."

Draco's jaw twitched as he clenched it tightly, two spots of colour spreading across his cheeks. "I'm not going to beg you, you're certainly not my idea of the ideal houseguest and I could definitely do without the agro. Stay or don't stay, it's no skin off my nose."

He turned and left the room, heading back down the stairs and into the kitchen. He lit the kettle with his wand and fished the cafetiere out from the cupboard. He made enough coffee for two people, although he had no idea why he was bothering. He was pouring himself a cup when Draco appeared in the doorway, hovering there uncomfortably.

"Coffee?" Neville offered, and Draco nodded awkwardly, sloping into the kitchen and seating himself at the table opposite Neville.

He accepted the mug and wrapped his long, thin fingers around it, staring down at the table with his shoulders hunched. He looked bloody rough and Neville wondered when he'd last had a hot meal or slept somewhere clean and safe.

"You're right," Draco said eventually, still not looking up. "I don't have anywhere to go and I haven't got enough money even to get a room for the night. Things are…tough."

 _That's a fucking understatement_ , Neville thought. _Tough_ didn't begin to cover it.

"My offer stands if you want to stay here," Neville said, sipping his coffee.

"Why would you let me?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"I haven't got any ulterior motives," Neville said with a sigh. "I'm offering you a bed, somewhere to get well if you want it. If you want to leave then fine, door's right there."

He was in no mood to grovel to Draco. He didn't much fancy being anyone's saviour, least of all his childhood bully's, but he knew he'd be plagued with guilt if Draco went skulking back to the streets.

"Where are we?" Draco asked, still unwilling to meet Neville's eyes.

"My family estate in Hampshire. This is the old gatehouse, I lease out the main building to my colleagues at The European Institute of Herbology for a research centre."

"Oh," Draco said quietly. "You live here alone?"

Neville nodded. "Yeah. Gran died a few years ago. It just made sense to move into this place."

"I'm sorry," Draco offered awkwardly.

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a while, drinking their coffee and casting looks at one another. Neville had never been particularly comfortable around Draco but would have almost preferred the swaggering prat of his youth to this sad-looking wraith sitting hunched at his kitchen table.

Draco heaved a huge sigh and rubbed a hand over his dirty, stubbled face. He looked exhausted and Neville wasn't actually certain he wouldn't keel over at any moment.

"Can I stay?" the man said eventually, his face pinched. "Just for a couple of nights," he added with a shrug that Neville supposed was meant to look nonchalant.

"Of course." Neville paused, tapping the side of his mug before he said, "Will you let me get Harry over? You're in a bad way, you know you are."

Draco's lips pursed and Neville could tell the man was weighing up his options. "I thought he'd have become an auror," he said dismissively, avoiding the question.

"Nope. He's a healer, a _senior_ healer for that matter and a damn good one."

"Good for him," Draco said snidely, looking like a petulant child. Neville raised an eyebrow and Draco had the good grace to blush. "Oh fine, call Saint Potter, bet he can't wait to give me a rectal exam."

"Oh grow up," Neville admonished, and Draco looked at him in surprise. _It's been nearly 10 years,_ he thought, _I've grown a fucking backbone_. "I'll call Harry, you go and have a shower. There are clean towels in the linen cupboard and I'll leave some clothes you can borrow on your bed."

"Um…right…thanks."

"What? No snide remarks about not being seen dead in my clothes?"

Draco gave him a hard look and said, "Does it look like I have the luxury of following designer trends? I'm hardly kitted out in the finest fashions, am I?"

He drained his mug and pushed himself up shakily from the table before trudging out of the room. "What the fuck am I doing?" Neville asked himself, wishing he'd never gone to Knockturn bloody Alley that morning. This was going to end badly, he was certain of that.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I don't know what to make of him," Neville said with a sigh, listening to the shower run upstairs.

"Best not to try and figure him out at the moment," Harry said sensibly, still looking a little green around the gills.

"Thanks for doing this, Harry. I appreciate it."

"I'm surprised the man's still standing to be honest. His health's hanging on by a thread."

"If anyone can help him, you can," George said, wrapping an arm around his husband's shoulders and pressing a kiss to his temple.

The water went off and they all looked upwards, as though Draco would materialise through the ceiling. "What a fucking weird situation," George said, shaking his head, Neville silently agreeing.

They waited awkwardly and Neville's stomach flipped when he heard the stairs creak. A moment later, Draco appeared in the doorway. He looked a damn sight better now he was washed and in clean clothes but his emaciated form and dark-ringed eyes made it painfully obvious that he was in a bad way.

He stood there awkwardly, Neville's clothes swamping him and making him look like a child. "Why is there a Weasley here?" he said eventually, his haughtiness such an obvious pretence that Neville felt embarrassed for him.

"I come with the package," George said with a grin.

"Harry and George are married," Neville said.

"Fucking hell," Draco muttered. "He the only Weasley who'd have you?"

"Yep," Harry said breezily. "He took pity on me."

"Actually I married him for his extraordinary fame. He really brings the punters in and does wonders for the business."

Neville smirked. Draco would have to try a lot harder if he wanted to ruffle their feathers, especially by attacking their marriage. They were the most solid couple Neville knew and they'd been deliriously happy together for years.

"Shall we go and have a chat?" Harry asked and Draco looked as if he quite wanted to tell Harry to go fuck himself. Instead he nodded tightly and Harry guided him out of the room and back upstairs.

"Has he said anything?" George asked, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Not really," Neville replied, sitting in the armchair opposite. "I mean…it doesn't take a genius to figure out what he's been up to."

"Can't help but feel sorry for the bloke," George said, stretching his long legs out.

Neville nodded. "He's in a right state. Merlin knows how he's come to this."

"You sure you're doing the right thing letting him stay?"

"No," Neville said with a sigh. "I'm not sure at all but it's done now. I wouldn't be surprised if he took off in the middle of the night anyway."

George looked sceptical and said, "He looks as though he can barely make it down the stairs, let alone do a moonlight flit."

"True. I can't believe it was only this morning I found him, it feels like a lifetime ago," Neville said tiredly, itching to be back among his nice, uncomplicated plants. Plants were easy, people were not.

Harry came back downstairs twenty minutes later and said, "He's staying up there for a while, I think he's going to try and get some sleep."

"How did it go?" George asked as Harry sat next to him on the sofa.

"He's bloody hard work," Harry said, rolling his eyes, "but I've got him on a course of treatment that should sort out the worst of it." He leant forward, his elbows on his knees, and looked at Neville seriously as he said, "He says he wants to get off the gear and I can help him but…it might not be pleasant for you having to live with him."

Neville gave a resigned nod and said, "I figured as much. We'll just…take it a day at a time I guess." Desperate to talk about anything other than the drug-addled former classmate upstairs, he asked George, "Are your folks back from Australia?"

Smiling kindly at the change of topic, George said, "Yeah, got back last week, all starry-eyed over Ron and Hermione's new baby."

"So that makes their 4th grandchild now?" Neville asked, and George and Harry shared a conspiratorial smile.

"Yep," Harry said, "but there is a 5th on the way."

Neville let his words sink in for a moment before his eyes widened and he said, "Are you…you're having…"

"8 weeks along," Harry said as George placed a gentle hand over his husband's abdomen. "But we haven't told anyone yet so keep it under your hat."

"Oh wow, guys," Neville said, amazed. "I'm so pleased for you, congratulations!"

"Thanks Nev," George said with a grin "We're pretty fucking excited about it."

Neville knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they'd be excellent parents. They shared custody of Teddy with Andromeda, albeit informally, and had done so since the boy had been a baby. He adored them both and they had worked their lives around bringing him up to be a happy and well-loved child.

They spoke about their plans for the baby, the terrible nausea poor Harry was experiencing and the ideas they both had for creating a nursery. They lived in a gorgeous farmhouse in Berkshire and Harry had been itching to turn it into a family home since they'd bought it.

Neville had been close to the two men since the final battle and their friendship had gone from strength to strength over the years. He'd been best man at their wedding nearly five years ago and they met up most weekends for dinner and drinks. Since his gran's death, he'd been adopted into the Weasley fold and all special occasions were spent with them as they treated him like one of their own.

"I'll just be glad when this sickness subsides," Harry said with a groan, nestling into George's hold. "It's really killing me at the moment."

"Poor love," George said, running his fingers through Harry's hair. "He's living on ginger tea and plain biscuits at the moment."

"No wonder you had your head down the bog this morning," Neville said with a smile.

Harry laughed and said, "I'm considering just moving into the bathroom permanently."

He and George stayed for the rest of the afternoon and Neville was able to relax and forget about the ticking timebomb in his guestroom. They were the two people he felt most comfortable with and they were so close they felt like brothers to him. He loved watching them together, even though he sometimes envied them their happiness.

They left as it began to get dark and Neville waved them off through the fireplace, thinking how much he hated January and its cold, gloomy nights. He supposed he should think about making dinner and wondered if Draco would be eating with him. The man was skin and bones; he needed fattening up a bit, needed adequate nutrition to get his body healthy again.

He decided on a hearty stew, something tasty with lots of goodness that he could leave on the stove and let Draco help himself to. He was a fairly decent cook, though he wouldn't exactly be opening a restaurant anytime soon, and he could made decent enough meals.

He was halfway through making dinner when Draco trudged downstairs and sidled into the kitchen. He shuffled into a seat and wrapped his arms around his thin frame, Neville's jumper far too big for him. Neville himself was slim, he had lost the puppy fat of his youth and had grown into a tall, toned man, but next to Draco he looked huge.

"I'm making plenty," Neville said, indicating the large pot in front of him. "Will you have some?"

Draco nodded and Neville wondered when the man had last had a decent meal. He set the heat low and left the stew to simmer.

"So," Draco said, still curled into himself, "Potter and Weasley are married."

"Harry and George," Neville corrected, leaning against the kitchen counter and folding his arms.

"Harry and George," Draco mimicked sourly.

"Yes, they're married, very happily so."

"How did that happen?" Draco asked, fiddling with the assortment of knick-knacks strewn across the table.

"Harry moved in with George after the war. They grew close, fell in love." Draco didn't need to know that they'd begun with an informal agreement as fuck buddies, that George had guided Harry through gentle explorations of his sexuality and that they'd fallen in love along the way. Besides, talking about the past was too uncomfortable; there were far too many questions about Draco's own that Neville wasn't ready to hear the answers to.

"He…um…he's a good healer," Draco said, eyes down, fiddling with a pair of Neville's discarded gardening gloves.

"Yeah, he is," Neville said, surprised that Draco had made such a concession. "He's worked bloody hard to get where he is and he loves the job. He seems confident that he can help you."

Draco snorted and said, "Bully for him." He sighed and dropped the glove, finally looking up at Neville. "Look, if you're letting me stay here then you might as well know the full story. I'm a fucking mess. I'm dependent on just about every drug known to man, half my organs are shutting down and I'm riddled with diseases."

Unwilling to admit that he already knew all of this and noting that Draco hadn't been specific about _which_ diseases he was riddled with, Neville said, "Well, let's hope we can get you well again."

"That's it?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"That's what?"

"No interrogation? No questions? Don't you want to know how I ended up this way? Find out how the snotty Pureblood ended up a knackered old wreck without a penny to his name?" There was a defensive snarl to Draco's voice and Neville knew he was being baited.

He gave the man a neutral look and said, "Do you want to tell me any of it?"

Draco's jaw clenched and he shook his head tightly. "No," he said quietly.

"Well then, let's leave it alone."

Draco fiddled sullenly with the detritus on the table while Neville finished cooking dinner. Draco was testing him and he knew it, trying to find out what buttons he could press, how far he could push things, and Neville was determined not to rise to it. Draco was so obviously full of self-loathing that he was itching to be thrown out on his ear, just to prove the world hated him. Neville wasn't going to oblige.

He dished up the stew and sat opposite Draco while they ate in silence. It was painfully obvious that Draco was trying to hold himself back, that he practically wanted to bury his face in the bowl and devour every mouthful, but he was doing his best to eat with restraint. He still finished long before Neville, mopping up every last morsel with a huge chunk of bread.

"There's plenty more if you want seconds," Neville said, and Draco eyes went to the pot on the stove. "Look, just help yourself to anything you want while you're here. I'm happy to make dinner in the evenings but I'm normally pretty busy during the day so you'll have to see to yourself for breakfast and lunch."

Clearly unable to wait any longer, Draco got up and dished himself up a second bowl of stew. "What do you do?" he asked, shovelling a huge spoonful into his mouth.

"I run my own Herbology business. I specialise in cultivating difficult plants. I'm also guest editor of a couple of Herbology journals and I'm a research fellow at The European Institute of Herbology, where I trained."

"Fuck. Want to add Minister of Magic to that resumé? Never thought you'd be so bloody successful."

 _Never thought you'd end up a rent-boy_ , Neville thought snidely but stayed silent. Draco wanted to get a rise out of him, he knew that, and he didn't want to take the bait.

"Well, it takes up a lot of my time and I spend most days in my greenhouses or the gardens so I guess…make yourself at home. There's a decent library just down the hall and we're in the middle of the countryside so there's plenty of space to walk. Oh and George rigged up a muggle TV, I could show you how to work – "

"I know how to use a tele," Draco said around a mouthful of food.

"You do?" Neville asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I've lived in the muggle world a bit, here and there."

It was clear that the topic wasn't up for discussion so Neville said, "Ok well feel free to use it when you like."

Draco nodded and finished his stew, scraping the spoon against the sides to get every last bit. Neville kept looking at him, trying to see if there was anything left of the boy he had once known but the man standing in his kitchen was almost unrecognisable.

"Well, I have a couple of articles to finish writing so I'm going to pop up to my office for a bit. Um…make yourself at home."

He moved to put his bowl in the sink but Draco said, "I'll sort it."

"You will?" Neville asked, confused.

"You cooked," Draco said with a shrug. "Got to earn my keep somehow."

No doubt that comment would come back to bite them both on the arse but Neville wasn't touching it at that point. "Alright well…goodnight then."

He knew he probably should have stayed and played host but it was all too bloody awkward. Draco didn't want to talk and Neville had no interest in trying to conjure up neutral topics that wouldn't cause an argument. Besides, he _did_ have work to do and he'd lost enough time arsing around with Draco all day.

When he woke the next day he half expected to find that Draco had bolted during the night but when he tentatively opened the bedroom door and peeked in he saw the man still there, sleeping soundly. He felt oddly relieved; Draco was so poorly, so broken, and Neville wanted to help him get better. At least in Neville's home he was safe, he would have a chance to try and sort himself out.

Neville had a quick breakfast then headed out for the greenhouses. It was bitterly cold and they'd been forecasted snow by the end of the week; Neville needed warming charms as well as his winter gear to ward off the chill.

He was in the middle of an intensive project to cultivate a hybrid Devil's Snare and it was proving trickier than he'd intended. It didn't bother him though, he liked getting stuck into a project and he knew he'd find a solution in the end, he always did.

He trudged back into the cottage at lunch and found Draco in the living room, curled up in the armchair next to the fire, nestled in a blanket and reading a book. "Hope you don't mind," he said, indicating the blanket. "I'm just so bloody cold."

"Course I don't mind," Neville said, taking off his padded coat and slinging it over the sofa. Draco had so little meat on his bones it was hardly surprising he felt the cold so badly. "Do you want some lunch?"

Draco shook his head. "Feeling a bit queasy," he said, and he did look rather fragile. "First day without any gear in my system…you know?"

"Right…can I – "

"It's alright. Potter gave… _Harry_ gave me some stuff to take. Just waiting for it to kick in."

"Have you ever um…ever tried to come off the stuff before?" Neville asked hoping he didn't get his head bitten off.

"Once or twice, never very successfully. It's hard to kick it when you're constantly surrounded by it. I've never had any medical help with it either so…"

"Well…let me know if I can do anything, ok? I mean…I don't really have any experience with it or anything but…"

"Thanks."

Draco shivered and tucked himself up a little tighter, looking oddly small in the big, squishy armchair. He was pale, his eyes shadowed with dark circles, his skin dry and covered with angry red patches.

"Did you sleep alright?" Neville asked and Draco actually smiled.

"Brilliantly. Can't remember when I last slept so well. It was lovely to be somewhere safe…somewhere warm."

Neville tried not to let the pity creep onto his face but he felt so sorry for the man. He looked so fragile sitting in Neville's oversized clothes, grateful for the fact that he'd had a safe place to sleep.

"You should cast a warming charm," Neville said as he watched Draco shiver again.

Draco looked uncomfortable and he played with a frayed edge of the blanket for a moment before he said, "I don't have a wand. I pawned it a while back."

 _Holy fuck_ , Neville thought, trying to keep his face neutral. "Oh right," he said levelly, and Draco looked away. It was unheard of for a witch or wizard to willingly part with their wand and Neville couldn't imagine how desperate Draco's circumstances must have been for him to resort to selling it.

"Well, I'm going to grab some lunch and then head back out there."

"What are you working on?" Draco asked.

Neville didn't think that the man was remotely interested but he was glad of the change of subject. "I'm trying to create a hybrid Devil's Snare. It's proving to be something of a challenge."

Draco paused with a look of consideration then said, "Have you tried runespoor tears in the soil?"

"Runespoor tears?"

Draco nodded. "Their magical properties combined with their natural acidity can sometimes produce good results."

"Oh…right. I hadn't considered that, I'll give it a go…thanks."

"I may be a drug-addled loser but I still have pretty good potions knowledge. I haven't managed to turn my brain to soup just yet."

"Well…thanks," he repeated awkwardly. "Sure I can't get you any lunch?"

"No thanks. I might just go up and get some sleep, try to ride out this nausea."

Neville nodded and watched as Draco unfolded his skinny limbs from the chair and walked shakily out of the room. It was day two and already Neville felt that he was in over his head. He was just going to bury himself in his work and hope that he hadn't made one almighty mistake bringing this poor, broken soul into his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please let me know.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Uncle Nev!" Teddy said as he barrelled into him the second he stepped through the fireplace into Harry and George's home.

"Hey Tedster," Neville said, wrapping the boy up in a hug. He was getting too big to scoop up onto his hip now and at nearly 8, he was all lanky arms and legs, and seemed to shoot up by the month.

"Dad! Uncle Nev's here," Teddy called down the corridor, his hair shifting from a soft blue to a bright turquoise.

"Coming," Harry called back. "Can you go and get your pa from the workshop?"

"He's been out there all afternoon," Teddy told Neville, rolling his eyes before he went skipping off down the corridor.

He'd been calling Harry and George 'Dad' and 'Pa' since last summer and Neville knew both men were secretly delighted about it. They had agreed not to make a big deal of it, to simply let it pass unremarked upon, but they had both essentially been fathers to the little boy since he was a baby.

Neville made his way from the living room to the gorgeous farmhouse kitchen, finding Harry conducting a delicate operation of food preparation. Various pots and pans were bubbling away under well-timed charms and whatever was in the oven smelt delicious. He loved having dinner at Harry and George's; they were both great hosts and great cooks and their renovated farmhouse was a second home to him.

"Hey Nev, dinner's almost ready. Help yourself to a beer," Harry said, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

Neville retrieved a beer from the fridge as the back door opened and George came in with Teddy on his shoulders. "Evening Nev!" he said with a grin before moving over to Harry. "I'm so sorry my love, I lost track of time," he said, placing his hands on Harry's waist and kissing his cheek.

"Liar," Teddy said with a snort. "You'd move out there if you could."

"Who brought you up to be so disrespectful?" George asked, yanking Teddy off his shoulders as the boy laughed and tried to fight back.

"You did!" Teddy exclaimed as he broke away from George's tickling and ran behind Neville. "I've been _dragged_ up," he said, holding Neville's shirt and peeking out from behind him.

"Monster. We should feed you to Uncle Charlie's dragons, except they'd spit you back out."

"Uncle Nev's on my side, aren't you?" Teddy asked, looking up at him.

"Always, sweetheart," he said, ruffling the boy's now bright orange hair.

"Come and see the bonsai tree you got me," he said, dragging Neville over to the window where the lovely little tree sat proudly.

"Oh that's coming on nicely, Teddy. You're doing a great job."

"It was in his bedroom," Harry said with a wry smile, "but after you told him you talk to your plants he was staying up all night telling it stories."

Teddy grinned at him sheepishly and Neville laughed, saying, "I always find bonsais respond best to Grimm's Fairytales."

Harry served dinner, which they ate in the newly decorated dining room, and which was delicious as always. Teddy insisted on sitting next to Neville, listening with rapt attention as he told him about his latest projects. Teddy loved anything to do with nature and had spent hours with him in the greenhouses, learning how things grew.

Harry often took him to Hogwarts to visit Hagrid, where he could learn all about magical animals, and his Uncle Charlie was an absolute rock-star to him. Newt Scamander's books were his bibles and he could trot out facts and figures about creatures at the drop of a hat.

Harry and George always listened with fond smiles, proud parents through and through. Teddy had been part of their relationship since before the two idiots realised they were in one and, although they'd only been young when they had first taken responsibility for him, they'd taken their roles seriously.

They finished dinner and migrated to the living room, George telling them all about the latest project he and his business partner were working on. Things had gone from strength to strength after his purchase of Zonko's in Hogsmeade and, while Neville knew the money was important, for George it was all about the achievement.

"Come on then, pumpkin," George said as the evening wore on, "time you were in bed."

"Oh, can't I stay up a little longer?" Teddy pleaded, hating having to go to bed when the adults were still up.

"Nope. Come on, up the stairs with you."

"Oh Pa," Teddy moaned. His eyes went to Harry and he said, "Just 20 more minutes, Dad?"

Harry laughed and said, "Has pitting us against one another ever worked?"

Teddy grinned good-naturedly and said, "I live in hope." He gave Harry a huge bear hug then did the same to Neville before he was swept up once more onto George's shoulders as the man carried him out of the room.

"Does that kid ever have tantrums?" Neville asked with a smile.

"Rarely," Harry said fondly. "He's so laidback and sunny-natured. This one," he said, placing his hand on his stomach, "is going to be a firecracker, I can just tell."

"How's it going? You're looking better."

"The sickness is beginning to subside, thank God. We still haven't told anyone yet, even Ted, so keep it under your hat."

"How do you think he'll take it?"

"I'm hoping fairly well. I mean…he's with us practically full-time now, he only stays with Andromeda one weekend out of four, to all intents and purposes he's our son. I just don't want him to feel pushed out."

"He won't," Neville assured him. "Just include him along the way, get him excited about being a big brother."

"Yeah you're right. We'll have to tell him soon; George is like a kid at Christmas, he's over the moon."

"And you?" Neville asked, although the answer was obvious.

Harry's smile was so warm and genuine that Neville felt an answering one on his lips. "God Nev, I'm on cloud nine. I can't even believe it's happening. I'm so thrilled."

"Well, I already know you'll be a wonderful dad, look at Teddy."

"Oh stop, you'll have me blubbing, especially with all these bloody hormones," Harry said, looking quite teary-eyed. He gave himself a shake and said, "How are things with Draco?"

Neville sighed and took a swig of beer. "It's like living with a ghost. I thought he'd be a pain in the arse but I've barely seen him. He just stays in his room and only drifts out for food…although the house is looking bloody spotless."

"He's going to need a long time to recover. He's put his body through a hell of a lot. Luckily magic can help to speed things along more quickly than muggle methods."

"Do you think he'll relapse?" Neville asked, unable to stop himself from feeling responsible.

"Hard to say. It helps that he's out of…whatever environment he was in but it will be tough for him. The poor guy was…on a serious cocktail of stuff."

"Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Has he said anything about it?"

"No. I think he wants to forget it all…either that or…he's waiting for the right moment to unleash it all, when it'll have the strongest impact. He wants to shock, he always did."

George came back downstairs and the conversation turned to talk of Ron and Hermione's life in Australia and how they were getting one with the new baby, followed by a lively analysis of Ginny's latest quidditch match. She was married to Oliver Wood and was playing for the England team, while he had left playing to coach the team, with great success.

Neville stayed until 11 then bid his hosts farewell with a promise from Harry to call in and see Draco during the week. He arrived home to a quiet cottage but he could hear the water running upstairs. He hung his cloak up and ventured upstairs, finding Draco crossing the landing with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Oh," Draco said, taken by surprise and clearly embarrassed. "Sorry, I hope you don't mind, I was going to take a bath."

"Of course I don't mind," Neville said, able to see just how painfully thin Draco was without his clothes on.

"It's just…with the withdrawal…the muscle aches are pretty bad. My arms and legs are like lead."

"Draco, it's fine," Neville assured him. "Actually there's a purple bottle in the medicine cabinet; if you just add a couple of drops of that to the bath water it should really help."

"Yeah?" Draco asked, folding his arms over his skinny torso. Neville had already seen the myriad of scars across the pale skin; it seemed that the outside had taken as much abuse as the inside had done.

"Yeah. My back sometimes seizes up with all the gardening work. That muscle relaxant's a godsend."

"Cheers. I appreciate it." Draco looked as though he was actually trying to make himself smaller, shrinking from Neville's gaze. "Did you have a nice time tonight?"

"Yeah it was good. You should come next time."

Draco snorted and said, "I don't think so. They wouldn't want me there."

"Sure they would. Besides, Teddy would like to meet you."

"Teddy?" Draco said with a frown.

"He's um…he's your cousin," Neville said carefully, wondering if he should have said anything at all. "Remus and Tonks' son, Andromeda's grandson."

"Oh," Draco said quietly. "I didn't know they had a son. He…lives with Potter…with Harry and George?"

Neville nodded. There was no need to go into the custody arrangements with Andromeda at that moment and it was getting to the point where Harry and George were his primary care-givers when all was said and done.

"He's a great kid, you'd like him."

He'd expected a sneer or at the very least a dismissal but instead Draco gave him a soft smile and said, "Maybe I'll come with you then, if Harry and George are ok with it."

"Of course they will be. You'd better get in there before the bath overflows," he said, indicating over Draco's shoulder.

"Oh shit," Draco said, ducking into the bathroom and shouting a muffled goodnight.

Neville woke early the next morning and was surprised to find Draco in a spotlessly clean kitchen cooking a sizeable breakfast that would have over-faced Hagrid. "Morning," he ventured, casting a warming charm over the kitchen as he felt the early chill creep in.

"Oh hi," Draco said, looking pale and drawn. "Um do you like black pudding? I didn't know whether to make you any."

"This is for me?" Neville asked, taking a seat at the table, which had been cleared of all its usual mess.

"Yeah…well I had a bit of bad night and I'm feeling pretty shit. Cooking helps to keep my mind off things and…I don't know…I like cooking. So…black pudding?"

"Oh…no thanks."

Draco plated him up a portion that made him baulk but it was undeniably delicious. He could get used to having breakfast made for him, especially on a frosty January morning. "Aren't you having any?" Neville asked, noting that there was still a fair amount of food left over.

Draco shook his head. "Can't face it right now," he said, and he really did look very queasy.

"Well…this is great…thanks."

Neville felt guilty. He should be doing more to help the man through his ordeal but he didn't really know what he _could_ do. He was totally unfamiliar with addiction, although even he could understand that Draco needed to keep himself occupied to keep his mind off things. He shouldn't have left the man to his own devices.

"Fancy a walk into the village after this?" he asked with a new resolve.

"Um…sure. That sounds good."

Neville finished his breakfast and Draco went up for a shower, much to Neville's relief. It was damned awkward eating while someone watched you, especially someone who looked as though they might be sick at any moment. He couldn't imagine how wretched Draco must be feeling and he felt such a strong need to help the man.

He cast a stasis charm on the leftover food and cleared up what little mess there was. Draco had been through the whole cottage and the place was cleaner than it had ever been. He fished out a pair of his old walking boots; they were a bit worn but they were serviceable and comfy, and found one of his old coats that Draco could wear. He cast a couple of strong warming charms over it, hoping they would serve to keep the man warm.

Draco came back downstairs, still looking far too frail in Neville's too-big clothes. His hair was wet from the shower and Neville smiled at him, saying, "You'll catch your death if you go out like that."

He cast a charm and Draco's hair was dry in seconds, a slight wave to it as it hung past his chin. "It suits you, that length," Neville said, noticing how it framed the man's face nicely.

"Yeah?" Draco asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, looks good."

Draco looked as though he'd never received a compliment in his life. He tucked a strand self-consciously behind his ear and said, "Thanks. I just never really got around to cutting it."

"Well, you ready for a stroll?"

He gave Draco the boots and coat, receiving an endearingly grateful smile in return. Draco could be oddly nice when he wasn't being a wanker. The village was about a mile away and the footpaths were well-maintained, making for an easy walk. They strolled leisurely, the day bright and sunny with a crisp chill to it, and it felt rather pleasant to have another person to walk with.

"Morning Annie," Neville said brightly as they entered the village shop.

"Morning love. Who's this then?" she asked, smiling at Draco.

"This is Draco, he's a friend from Hogwarts." At Draco's look of confusion, he elaborated, "Annie's a squib. Her family knew Gran from years back."

"Oh I see."

"Draco's staying with me for a bit. He's been a bit unwell lately and he's taking some time out for his health."

"Like a character in a Jane Austen novel," Draco said dryly, and Neville realised it had sounded a bit twatish.

They chatted with Annie for a while; she thankfully knew little enough about the war or those who'd participated in it that they didn't need to dodge any awkward questions. Afterward, Neville took Draco on a little tour of the village, which was fairly well-appointed for a place in the middle of nowhere.

They took the long way home, through the woods and along the river path, talking about Neville's endeavours with his latest cultivation project. Draco listened with interest and Neville remembered that he'd been a pretty decent Herbology student in school. It made him wonder what the man could have achieved if life had been a little kinder to him.

They returned home and Neville made them coffee while he watched Draco tap his fingers agitatedly against his thigh. "Draco," Neville ventured, "what can I do to help you?"

"How do you mean?" Draco asked, switching to chewing the skin around his thumbnail.

"I haven't…I haven't done anything to help you properly."

"Besides letting me stay here while I try to get myself well again you mean?" Draco asked, looking as though he thought Neville might be a little slow

"Well yeah…but I mean on a practical level…with the withdrawal. I've done nothing to help."

"What is it you think you should be doing?" Draco asked, and Neville wished he'd taken a moment to consider his words before he'd spoken.

"Well…what _can_ I do?" he asked. "Can I do something to keep you occupied? Keep your mind off things?"

"I'm not a highly-strung pet, Neville," Draco said, and Neville tried not to focus on how strange it was to hear Draco use his first name.

"No, I know that, but…" he trailed off with a sigh. "I just want to help," he finished lamely.

"It's not your job to fix me," Draco said, and Neville was surprised that the man hadn't said it with any nastiness. "You've done more than most people would letting me stay here in the first place."

"But – "

"Look, I'll keep myself occupied, I promise. I mean…maybe I could help you with…I don't know…planting and stuff?"

"Yeah?" Neville asked hopefully. "That would be great, I could use a hand."

Draco nodded and Neville felt a bit better. He really did want to help and he knew where he stood when it came to plants.

"Do you think you'll manage it?" he asked. "Keeping clean I mean."

"I don't know," Draco said with a sigh, and Neville appreciated his honesty. "It helps not being surrounded by it and…I never took it because…it was never about being high, it was about being _numb_. I took it to get from one minute to the next."

"Oh," Neville said quietly, hating to think of anyone feeling so wretched that they had to poison themselves to the point of oblivion just to cope.

"The fewer things I have to shut out, the less I'll feel the need to use…in theory anyway. Harry's helping me with the physical stuff, he's got me on a balance of potions that counteract some of the side effects. It's just…it's hard."

Neville wanted to help him, he felt it more strongly than he'd felt anything in years. This frail, troubled man sitting in his kitchen wasn't the arrogant tormentor of his youth and so many years had passed since then anyway that Neville wasn't even sure they still counted.

"Draco…" he began, wondering if what he was about to say was wise. "Is it…should we be…contacting your parents? Could they help?"

An expression crossed Draco's face that Neville found impossible to read and he knew he'd said the wrong thing. He was considering what damage control he could possibly do when Draco said in a harsh whisper, "They're both dead."

"What?" Neville asked, his shock overriding the awkwardness he might have felt. "They can't be," he said lamely.

Draco gave a bitter laugh and said, "I assure you they are." He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, his face ashen as he said, "My father was killed in Azkaban, punishment for my mother lying about Harry being dead."

"But…but it was never reported, no one ever heard anything."

"It was hushed up," Draco said over Neville's blustering. "Not good for Azkaban's PR to have an inmate murdered by other inmates. Either way, the man's dead, has been for years."

"Fucking hell, Draco. I don't know what to say."

"As for my mother," Draco continued as though Neville hadn't spoken, his expression hard and eerily distant, "well, my mother decided that it was all too much for her. She killed herself," he said with hard eyes and Neville felt his skin turn cold.

He didn't know what to say, there was nothing he _could_ say, and he felt his heart break just a little more for Draco. The man sat staring ahead with hollow eyes, his hold so tight on himself Neville was worried he'd crack a rib.

"When my father was put in prison, the Ministry hit us with some pretty severe financial tariffs. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, tried to bribe them for my father's release and they slapped another huge fine on us for good measure. Over the next year we sold off everything we owned but we just sank deeper and deeper into debt. We put the manor up for sale and the day it went through, the 23rd December 1999, I found my mother hanging from a beam in the library."

Neville was so horrified that all he could do was stare at Draco. Both parents dead, one murdered and one dead by their own hand, Draco having to make the gruesome discovery himself. It was too much to process and Neville couldn't imagine the horrors that Draco had been through.

"Draco I…" he began but was totally unable to finish.

"You know, whatever transgressions I made in the past I think I've more than paid for them now, don't you?"

Draco looked at him with an expression so full of sorrow that Neville felt his chest constrict. The man shifted out of his seat and left the kitchen like a ghost, Neville feeling overwhelmed by the sense of tragedy he had left in his wake. He felt as though he'd taken a punch to the stomach but his resolve to help Draco was now firmer than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry I didn't reply to you all last week but my Grandma sadly passed away and I've been dealing with that. Truth be told, this year is really kicking my arse.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Draco avoided him for the next couple of days and Neville couldn't really blame him. He had no idea what he was supposed to say and he could only imagine what Draco had had to suffer through in the last few years. Was that how he'd ended up selling himself? And _when_ , Neville wondered, were they supposed to address that particular elephant in the room?

Did it need addressing? Did Draco have to know that Neville had surmised how he'd been earning a living? Was it something they should be talking about? He was so confused, he had no idea what to do for the best and all he wanted was to help Draco.

Learning the painful truth about Lucius and Narcissa had been horrifying and Neville had turned it over and over again in his mind. Draco had had to cope with so much and Neville was sure he only knew the half of it. He didn't want to go digging around in Draco's past traumas but he didn't think it wise to let the man try and handle it on his own.

He'd made a decision to help Draco, beyond letting him stay in his home, and he couldn't sweep things under the carpet simply because they were uncomfortable. He had no idea what to do or say though and he agonised over things for a couple of days, turning things over in his head.

He decided to take the bull by the horns and, a few days after the horrible revelation, he found himself hovering in the doorway to Draco's room. The man was tucked up in the window seat, his long legs folded beneath him, a blanket wrapped around his thin frame. He was reading, the book open in his lap, strands of his soft hair falling across his face.

Neville had tried not to notice, he'd tried _very hard_ not to notice but Draco was still an attractive man. He'd put his body through hell and it showed but, even painfully thin and obviously unwell, the man was undeniably handsome. Old, uncomfortable feelings that Neville thought he'd forgotten about began to surface again and he tried not to think about that strange 7th year at Hogwarts when he'd spent most of his time confused and terrified in equal measure.

He shook his head; those thoughts could wait for another fucking time, things were complicated enough as it was. He knocked on the doorframe and Draco looked up, his expression guarded.

"Hey," Neville ventured, opting for a smile, hoping to put Draco at his ease.

"Hey," Draco echoed quietly.

"Um…my assistant's called in sick. I was wondering if you could help me out."

Draco sighed and said, "You don't have to find jobs for me to do. You're not responsible for me."

Neville smiled and took a seat on the edge of Draco's meticulously made bed. "I honestly could use your help. My assistant really is sick and you'd be doing me a favour. If you don't feel up to it though then that's – "

"No, no of course I'll help. Got to make myself useful, right?"

"That's not what I meant," Neville said with a frown. "You don't have to…earn your keep here." He regretted the words the minute he said them and he felt his face flush at whatever implication Draco could read from that. "Look, I'll be in the greenhouses. If you want to help then come and join me, if not then fine."

He left without a backwards glance and headed for his shed, gathering all his tools together before he settled in Greenhouse Three. He had cuttings to take to send to his colleagues at the Institute and soil samples to gather. He had to re-pot a bunch of plants that had failed with every other Herbologist and it was a point of professional pride to him to have success in growing them.

Half an hour went by and Neville figured Draco had decided to stay in the cottage. He was elbow-deep in a pile of mulch when the man appeared in the doorway of the greenhouse, hands stuffed in his pockets and shoulders hunched.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked, and Neville smiled in relief.

He put Draco to work taking cuttings from the Sopophorous plants while he tried to figure out what had gone wrong with the Moondew. They worked mostly in silence, apart from the odd question from Draco or gentle instruction from Neville, and Neville found it quite nice to have Draco's company while he worked.

Draco was meticulous and precise and Neville appreciated his attention to detail. He didn't have to hover over his shoulder and worry about any mistakes he might make and Draco seemed fairly content to potter away quietly. Neville kept casting surreptitious warming charms over the greenhouse, wanting to make the man as comfortable as possible.

It was a long day but a successful one and Neville would have truly struggled without Draco's help in the wake of his assistant's absence. They retired back to the house as it began to get dark, tired but ultimately pleased with the day's endeavours.

Neville's hands were killing him; they often seized up after a day's planting, especially in the cold weather. Harry had given him something to help, a viscous potion that he was supposed to massage in to ease the pain. He rifled through the cabinets in the kitchen, finding it hidden among the spices.

"You're not putting that in tonight's dinner are you?" Draco asked, coming into the kitchen and eyeing the bottle dubiously.

Neville laughed and said, "No, don't worry. It's for my hands, they're bloody agony."

"I'm not surprised, some of those plants really fight back. Here, give it over," Draco said, taking the bottle from him.

Neville was too surprised to say anything. He watched as Draco uncorked the vial, his nose wrinkling slightly at the pungent smell, before he poured a small amount into the palm of Neville's right hand. He spread it gently over Neville's skin then used his thumbs to massage it in.

It felt wonderful and the painful ache began to ease almost immediately. Draco's thumbs worked steadily, massaging the tense muscles and soothing the pain gently away. Neville didn't trust himself to look up at Draco's face so he looked down at his hand, watching Draco's slow and delicate movements as he worked carefully.

It was so intimate and Draco was close enough for Neville to feel the gentle heat pulsing from the warming charm he'd cast over the man. He smelt like Neville's shower gel and laundry powder, which was somewhat confusing, and Neville couldn't help but wish he could get a little closer.

"Not quite the handjob I'm used to giving blokes," Draco murmured and they both froze.

 _Make a joke,_ Neville's mind urged him, _laugh it off_ , but he couldn't think of anything to say. Draco's hands had stilled completely, holding Neville's awkwardly in stasis and Neville wondered if it would make things more or less awkward if he retracted it.

"Why the fuck did I say that?" Draco whispered, his face flushed. He dropped Neville's hand as though it had burnt him and stepped back.

"It…it doesn't matter," Neville ventured, feeling his cheeks heat.

"Yes it does. You don't…you don't know…you don't know what I…where I…" Draco was flustered and embarrassed and Neville had no idea how to make the situation better.

"Draco, it's ok."

"No it's not. You have no idea what I've done, what I've been reduced to."

"Yes I do," Neville said quietly and Draco's eyes went wide.

"What?" he said in a whisper, and Neville felt his mouth go dry.

"Draco…I know enough about Knockturn to know about the place I found you. Given the state you were in…it didn't take much of a leap to guess…how things stood."

Draco looked as though he might be sick and Neville felt awful. "Well," the man said, his voice raw, "there goes the last shred of dignity I was clinging onto."

"Draco, it's alright."

"No it's not," Draco said, his face scrunched in a frown. "Of course it's bloody not. I was a prostitute, Neville, a fucking rent-boy. Do you have any idea the things I've done? The ways I've degraded myself? Do you have the first clue what nasty little fantasies people will make you act out when they're paying for you?"

He stepped a little closer, his face twisted, as he hissed, "Is that what you wanted when you brought me here, hm? Wanted me to earn my keep by lying on my back and letting you fuck me? Well fine, let's get to it then. What's your pleasure? I think you'll find I have a very satisfactory repertoire of tricks. You want to use me, fuck me, make me – "

"Stop," Neville said, his voice low and firm, and Draco blinked at him in surprise. "You're not going to do this," Neville said, keeping his voice even and meeting Draco's eyes unwaveringly. "You want to prove the world hates you? Well you're not going to start with me. I'm sorry, _desperately_ sorry, for what you've been through and you're right – I haven't got the first clue what it must have been like for you but I am _not_ judging you."

Draco took a shuddering breath and his body began to shake as his eyes began to tear up. "I know you're ashamed," Neville said, his voice more gentle, "and I don't know what I'm supposed to say to make this better but will you please believe me when I say I only want to help."

"Why?" Draco asked in a whisper. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Why _wouldn't_ I?" Neville answered simply, and Draco looked more lost than ever.

He was trembling now and all Neville knew was that this poor, broken man needed comfort, needed a little kindness to show him the world still had some good left in it. He stepped closer and said gently, "Let me hold you."

Draco looked shocked, as though no one had ever offered him a hug in his life, and Neville wondered sadly if that was actually the case. He slowly wrapped his arms around the man and pulled him gently against his chest, letting one hand settle at the base of Draco's spine while the other cradled his head tenderly.

He was taller than Draco and the man's head rested on his shoulder comfortably even as Draco's body hummed with tension. "It's alright," Neville soothed. "Come with me." Keeping an arm around Draco's waist, he guided him to the living room. He lit the fire with his wand and settled them both on the sofa, wrapping Draco up in his arms and encouraging the man to snuggle into him.

It took a while but eventually the tension began to leave Draco's body and he slid a tentative arm across Neville's torso. He rested his head against Neville's chest and Neville listened to the gentle crackle of the fire as he ran his fingers through Draco's soft hair. The man's breathing evened out and Neville was content to sit holding him close and trying to acclimatise him to physical affection.

"I've never sat like this with anyone," Draco confided quietly, his voice muffled against Neville's jumper.

"Never?" Neville asked, trying not to sound too pitying.

Draco shook his head and murmured, "It just…wasn't done in my…my family and no one else has ever…"

Neville had to wonder if the only knowledge of sex or touch Draco had was from those who had paid for his services and it hurt his heart to think that might be the case. "Is this ok?" he asked, wanting Draco to know that there were boundaries and that he would respect them.

"Yes," Draco said softly and cuddled in closer.

Neville summoned the blanket from the back of the armchair and wrapped them both up in it, continuing to stroke Draco's hair as the man nestled against him.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered. "I'm sorry for what I said. I'm so messed up."

"You don't need to apologise. You've been through hell, I'm sure I can't even begin to understand."

"I had no right to accuse you of – "

"Ssh, it's forgotten," Neville soothed as Draco began to fiddle with the edge of the blanket. He moved his hand to Draco's neck and rubbed softly, feeling Draco press up against him ever so slightly.

"You're so warm," Draco said with a strained laugh. "Must be nice to be that warm."

Neville smiled and said, "We just need to get a little more meat on your bones, then you won't feel the cold so much."

"Yeah, I'm a fucking skeleton," Draco said with a sigh. "It's embarrassing really."

"You just need to get yourself better. You're still an attractive man, _very_ attractive actually."

The hand fiddling with the blanket stilled and Neville cursed himself for being a twat. He had no right to say anything like that to the man and he was supposed to be offering comfort, not saying weird, creepy things to him.

"Sorry, Draco. I just meant that – "

"No, it's fine," Draco said quietly. "I mean it's actually quite nice to hear. I…have a hard time looking in the mirror these days, it's nice to know perhaps I'm not quite so repulsive."

"You're definitely not repulsive," Neville said awkwardly. There were all sorts of lines he didn't want to cross and he had no idea what was appropriate and what wasn't. Draco was in need of gentle handling, that much was true, but he was also a person, not just a victim of past traumas. He didn't want to insult him by treating him as such.

They sat peacefully for a while longer until both their stomachs started to rumble. Draco stretched and pushed himself off Neville, giving him a shy smile as he sat up. "Thank you for treating me like a human being," he said, a flush on his cheeks. "It's been a long time."

Neville paused then reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Draco's ear. "I know it's difficult but…if you want to talk, if you want…anything…I really _do_ want to help."

"I know. You're a pretty rare find, Neville. I'll tell you that for nothing."

"I should…fix us some dinner. Can't have us both wasting away."

Draco smiled and said, "Sounds good. Afterwards I'll finish the job I started on your hands…minus the inappropriate comments."

A few days passed and Draco continued to help Neville in the greenhouses. He sometimes tired easily and occasionally his temperature would spike or his muscles would seize up and he'd have to go for a rest but he was a useful assistant and he worked hard.

They hadn't mentioned what had happened or the big revelation Draco had made. Neville determined that if Draco wanted to talk about it he would and he thought that perhaps the man was working up his courage to do so. Either way, it had to happen on Draco's terms and Neville was prepared to help him however he could.

Saturday morning saw Neville sitting at the kitchen table, reading through a whole pile of correspondence he'd been putting off for days. There were far too many people trying to demand things from him and he had several snarky letters to write in response. He was considering how to diplomatically say _go fuck yourself_ to someone who was asking him to slash his usual fee in half when Draco came in through the back door.

"Hey, I thought you were still in bed," he said as Draco removed his boots, his cheeks flushed from the cold.

"Had a bad night," Draco said as an explanation. "Gave it up for a lost cause when the sun came up, went for a long walk. There are some amazing footpaths around here, I walked for miles."

"Feeling any better?" Neville asked, pouring him a coffee.

"The jitters have worn off and I'm not feeling so queasy anymore," he replied, accepting the mug with a smile of thanks. "I stopped in at the shop and had a chat with Annie. She offered me a job."

"Really? Doing what?"

"Just picking up some shifts in the shop. I said yes, it'd be good to have a little money."

"And you're ok dealing with muggles and muggle stuff?"

"Yeah, I've spent enough time in the muggle world to know my way around things." He took a sip of his coffee then said with a self-effacing smile, "If you'd have told me back in Hogwarts that I'd be pleased to work in a muggle village shop I'd have hexed your balls off. Now…I'm just grateful."

"Then you have far more intelligence and grace than you did back at school," Neville said kindly. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. I'm proud of me too."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, Draco reading the paper while Neville sorted his post into letters he'd respond to and those he was going to ignore indefinitely. Sometimes he felt he stretched himself too thinly with all the irons he had in the fire and he wondered if he should start scaling things back.

It had been a criticism levelled at him by many a prospective boyfriend over the years. His feeling had always been that if someone came along who'd properly captivated him he would have had no problem re-directing his attention to them. That hadn't happened though; no one had taken his fancy and the longest relationship he'd managed had lasted six months.

He finished sorting through the post and looked up at Draco, saying, "Harry and George are popping over with Teddy a bit later. We're going to have a pizza and movie fest."

"Oh right. I'll…make myself scarce," Draco said, folding up his paper.

"I was inviting you to join us," Neville said gently.

"Oh…oh I don't know. I mean…they probably wouldn't want me around Teddy and…it kind of sounds like a family thing so – "

"You _are_ family," Neville reminded him. "Come on, he'd love to meet you and it's just pizza and a film. Nothing fancy."

Draco cleared his throat and said, "Ok then, as long as you're sure they won't mind."

Draco was nervous before the others were due to arrive, Neville could tell, and he stood in the living room, his back ramrod straight. He'd only seen Harry in the man's capacity as his healer and the fact that Harry knew everything probably made it difficult for Draco to imagine socialising with him.

"You'll have fun, I promise," Neville said and Draco shot him a sceptical look.

The fire roared to life and Teddy tumbled through it, followed by Harry and George. They greeted each other warmly and Draco settled for shaking both men's hands, giving them each a polite smile.

"Draco, this is Teddy," Harry said, and Neville watched, amazed, as Draco's smile turned warm and genuine. His face softened completely and Neville had only seen him that way a handful of times.

"Hello Teddy. Nice to meet you."

"Hi," Teddy said with a beaming smile. "Dad says you're my cousin."

"First cousin, once removed in fact," Draco said, as though he and Teddy were sharing a secret.

"Cool!"

"Very. Your Uncle Neville tells me you love plants. I bet you're a better assistant to him than I am."

Teddy giggled and told Draco all about how he'd helped Neville grow a Cobra Lily while Draco listened with rapt attention, asking him questions and joking about how Neville would have been lost without him. Neville shared a look with Harry and George, both of them clearly as surprised as he was at just how good Draco was with him.

"What film do you want to watch, Ted?" Neville asked when Teddy finished his story.

"He's brought a selection," George said with a smile. "We're in for a long afternoon."

"Draco, will you sit next to me?" Teddy asked as he clambered up on the sofa.

"I'd be honoured," Draco said, and Neville could tell he was pleased.

Teddy remained glued to Draco for the whole afternoon and he narrated the importance of each film as they watched, pointing out the intricate plot of _Cars_ and the biodiversity of _Finding Nemo_. Draco listened intently and took Teddy's comments very seriously, engaging with him so sweetly that Neville found himself watching Draco more than he watched the films.

"Were you at school with my dads and Uncle Nev?" Teddy asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor as he attacked a huge slice of pizza.

"Um…yes I was," Draco replied, obviously trying not to be too awkward.

"Cool," Teddy said, wiping cheese from his chin. "Were you in Gryffindor with them?"

Draco paused and picked a piece of pepperoni off his pizza then said, "Ah…no, I was in Slytherin."

"Amazing," Teddy said with wide eyes. "Severus Snape was a Slytherin and Dad says he was the bravest person he ever knew."

"Well, your dad's right," Draco said quietly. "Severus Snape was an extremely brave man."

"Also," Teddy continued, unaware of the weight Snape's name held, "Stefan Calder was a Slytherin and he's the greatest dragon tamer in the world."

"Really?" Draco asked, looking relieved at the change of topic.

Teddy nodded emphatically, pulling strings of mozzarella between his fingers. "Yep. Uncle Charlie says they still use his teachings today, nearly 200 years later. I'm going to be a naturist when I'm older."

"Naturalist, darling," George said with a grin and Harry snickered.

Teddy ignored them and said, "I'm going to study all the plants and animals and discover new species and learn all about their habitats and…"

Draco listened with a smile, Neville amazed at the man's gentle patience. He asked Teddy questions and made suggestions about books he could read. They talked about David Attenborough, who was another of Teddy's heroes, and Draco promised that next time they could watch Blue Planet together.

"Not eating, darling?" George asked Harry as he sat with his arm around his husband's shoulders and noticed his untouched food.

"I really fancied it but the smell's turning my stomach," Harry said, looking a bit pale.

"Dad's having a baby," Teddy told Draco with a grin.

"Teddy," Harry admonished with a groan. "No offence, Draco, it's just that we haven't told anyone yet. Only Nev knows, it's meant to be hush-hush."

"Wow, congratulations," Draco said, and George beamed as he pressed a kiss to Harry's temple.

"We're very excited," he said, and Harry smiled as he rested his head on George's shoulder.

"I'm going to be a big brother," Teddy said excitedly. "It's going to be my job to help look after the new baby."

"I'm sure you'll be wonderful," Draco told him.

The afternoon turned into evening and they watched a final film before Harry announced that he was shattered and it was time to go home. Neville watched as the man glanced at Draco and said to George, "Can you take Ted and get him in the bath? I'll be along in a sec."

"Come on, my love," George said, guiding Teddy towards the fireplace as the boy gave Neville and Draco an enthusiastic wave goodbye.

"Draco," Harry began.

"Harry, let me spare you," Draco interrupted, his face pinched. "You don't want me around Teddy and I don't blame you. I'm a recovering drug addict, former prostitute and…I get it."

Harry paused and exchanged a look with Neville before he said, "I was just going to ask how the new regimen of potions were working for you, check if we needed to tweak the dosage at all. The side effects can be a bit rough if we don't get the balance right."

"Oh," Draco said, his cheeks flushing.

Harry gave him a kind smile and said, "I have no problem whatsoever with you spending time with my son, the two of you got on like a house on fire."

"Really?" Draco asked tentatively.

"Of course," Harry said, laying a hand on the man's shoulder. "Next time we're doing movie fest at ours and you'll be more than welcome."

"Thank you," Draco said quietly, looking down at his shoes.

Neville watched as Harry squeezed Draco's shoulder then gave them both a wave before he disappeared through the fireplace. Neville waited for a moment before he said gently, "The world isn't against you, you know."

Draco looked up at him and gave him a charmingly shy smile. "It has been for a long time," he said softly. "I guess it's going to take a while to think otherwise."

"You have a place with us, Draco. Don't forget that."

"I suppose…I suppose I'm just waiting for it all to fall apart," Draco admitted, wrapping his arms around himself.

Neville stepped closer and slowly pulled Draco into his arms, his heart thudding as he did so. Draco went without resistance, his arms circling Neville's waist tentatively, his head fitting snugly under Neville's chin. Neville held him closely and said softly, "It won't, I promise you."

Draco said nothing but he cuddled in a little closer and Neville ran his hand gently up and down the man's back. He liked the feel of the man in his arms, like the thought that he could offer him comfort, give him some security. It felt right, better than that, it felt good, and Neville saw no reason not to do this more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapter week to cheer myself up. I hope you enjoyed this one. Please let me know and chapter 5 will be along on Friday.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I'm exhausted," Neville said, collapsing on the sofa.

"That's no reason not to take your boots off," Draco admonished with a reprimanding look at the boots in question.

Neville grinned and said, "You make a wonderful housekeeper."

"And you're a slob," Draco said, sitting next to him.

They'd had Teddy with them all day and he'd been helping them in the greenhouses. Teddy was still thoroughly smitten with Draco and followed him around like a puppy. Draco, in turn, seemed equally taken with his young cousin. He was patient and gentle, and Teddy clearly thought the world of him.

"My bloody hands are agony," Neville said, flexing his fingers. "I hate this cold weather."

"Come here," Draco said, grabbing the vial of muscle soother that Neville used. It had taken up residence on the coffee table as they seemed to have developed an evening ritual of Draco massaging it into Neville's hands while they watched TV. It was glorious and Neville tried to tell himself that it was meaningless, just a nice favour that Draco was generous enough to grant him.

Draco poured a little of the thick, greasy substance into the palm of Neville's right hand and started working it in with his thumbs. Neville suppressed a groan at how wonderful it felt, the pain easing away slowly as Draco soothed the tense muscles.

"It was nice having Teddy today," Draco said, smiling down at Neville's hand.

"It was," Neville agreed. "Teddy worships you."

"He's a great kid."

"I never thought," Neville began, then trailed off.

"Never thought what?" Draco asked, manipulating a pressure point gently.

"Sorry, I just realised I was about to say something potentially insulting."

Draco snorted and said, "Why should that stop you?"

"I was just going to say that I didn't expect you to be so good with him. I…didn't think you'd like kids."

"That's a fair assumption to make," Draco conceded, "but I actually…always make a point of being nice to kids. It's important to me."

"How come?" Neville asked, intrigued.

Draco focused on Neville's hand for a moment, his thumbs moving agilely as they continued to massage. Eventually he said softly, "When I was little, maybe 6 or 7, I was in Diagon with my father and he left me at Fortescue's to get an ice cream while he went to the bank. Anyway, I'd been dreaming about this damn ice cream all afternoon and I got the works, everything but a bloody firework on top.

"I got five sodding feet away from the counter and I tripped, dropped the whole thing in one big splat on the floor. I was devastated and I just stood there trying not to cry, looking at my wrecked ice cream. Suddenly this guy appears next to me and hands me another one, just gives it over and says, 'looks like you need this more than me'. He gave me the kindest smile I've ever seen then he just walked away.

"It sounds stupid but that moment stayed with me and it was probably the only time in my life someone was kind to me just for the sake of it. It became something I thought a lot about over the years, especially as life just got harder and harder. I…resolved that when I was older I'd always be nice to kids, just…if they ended up living some shitty, horrible life they could look back and remember that once someone was kind to them…for no other reason than they could be."

"Oh Draco," Neville said, taken aback and deeply touched.

Draco cleared his throat and said, "So…Harry and George are having a baby. That's amazing news."

Appreciating that Draco felt a little vulnerable and exposed, Neville smiled and said, "Yeah it is. They've been amazing parents to Teddy and any kid would be lucky to have them."

"They're…they're very good together, they make a great couple," Draco said, looking down as he continued to massage Neville's hand.

"They began as fuck buddies," Neville said with a grin and Draco looked tantalised by this bit of gossip.

"No, really?"

Neville nodded. "Harry was a bit confused about things, uncertain of his sexuality, and George offered to help him figure it out."

"I'll bet he did," Draco said with a salacious smile, working his thumbs into Neville's sore muscles. "So they just fell in love along the way?"

"Pretty much. It's been years and they're still smitten. They'd make me sick if I didn't adore them both so much."

"They are pretty sickening," Draco said without malice. "So, is there anyone you're smitten with?"

Neville snorted and said, "You've lived here a month, have you seen anyone?"

"Casually smitten then?"

"Nope," Neville said, shaking his head. "I'm um…I'm not so great at relationships. Can never seem to make them work."

"Why is that?" Draco asked conversationally as he continued to massage gently.

"Damned if I know," Neville said with a sigh. "They just…always seem to fizzle out. I haven't really found anyone that I can stand to be around for long periods at a time. I guess I start pulling back and the other bloke always senses that and then it…ends."

"Oh," Draco said softly. "Well, I've never had a relationship of any kind so…you've beaten me."

Draco finished tending to Neville's sore hands then offered to make dinner, disappearing off to the kitchen with a growled threat that he was going to make Neville sorry if he'd used all the rice. Neville finally removed his boots and swung his feet up on the sofa, considering what he'd said as he heard Draco clatter away in the kitchen.

He'd been living with Draco for a month and, while no one would describe the situation as easy, he found Draco surprisingly easy to live with. They worked comfortably together and Neville enjoyed the evenings they spent curled up in front of the fire watching the TV or reading quietly.

He'd never lived with anyone, not counting his time in the Gryffindor dorms, and he'd never had the urge to move in with a boyfriend, but there had been times he'd felt undeniably lonely. Being best friends with Harry and George didn't help; being privy to their happiness and unshakeable closeness made him want that for himself but it had always eluded him.

And now here he was, living in a very domestic set-up with Draco Malfoy of all people. What did that mean? Did it mean anything? Perhaps he was just too sensitive about these things; all his friends had paired up and married or had kids and he was still single. Still, it made him feel a little uncomfortable that the only person he had successfully managed to co-habit with was Draco of all people.

He pushed it from his mind for the next few days, which was easy enough as he was inundated with work. His colleagues, who were living up in the big house, needed his assistance with the latest project they were dabbling in and he found himself being roped into co-authoring a research paper.

Needing a break, a week later he told them all to take a running jump and leave him alone for the rest of the afternoon. He took himself off for a walk, pleased that January's icy chill had thawed a little now they were in February. He walked for a couple of hours, taking himself on a circular route that eventually dropped down into the village.

"You look fed up," Draco greeted him from behind the till as he entered the village shop.

"Afternoon to you too," Neville said, shutting the door behind him. "You look cute in a shopkeeper's apron."

"Piss off," Draco said with a blush and Neville paused to wonder if he'd been flirting with the man. "What are you doing here?"

"Needed a break before I shoved someone's head through a wall," Neville said with a sigh. He looked at Draco closely and said, "Are _you_ ok? You don't look very well."

Draco fiddled with the line-up of sweets on the counter and said, "It's just…a bad day today. I woke up and my body just felt…empty, like I was craving…well you know. I've just been trying to keep my mind off things but…I feel a bit fragile."

Neville reached across the counter and wrapped his hand around Draco's, which was cold and clammy. "What can I do?" he asked gently.

Draco gave his fingers a squeeze and said, "I wish I knew. I'm just terrified that I'll use again. I don't want to go back to that life, Neville. I can't."

"Well, I think you're fairly safe here. There's not much opportunity to get hold of that stuff…unless old Mrs Jessop in the bungalow is secretly pushing."

Draco gave a soft laugh and said, "You never know. That kindly old lady act might be a clever ruse."

Neville absent-mindedly laced his fingers through Draco's noting that, despite the man's pale and tired pallor, he was looking very handsome with his hair tied half-up, half -down. Draco smiled at him and Neville felt his pulse quicken.

"Can I offer you a distraction tonight?" Neville asked as his thumb began stroking back and forth across Draco's skin. Draco's eyebrows rose and Neville grinned, saying, "I was inviting you to a party."

"A party," Draco echoed. "What party?"

"Up at the main house, they're having one tonight."

"Oh…I don't know. I mean…they're witches and wizards right?"

"They're all from mainland Europe," Neville said gently. "They only vaguely know about the war and they have no idea who you are."

Draco looked uncertain and Neville said, "They're a nice crowd and it will be very chilled out, but if you don't want to go then we'll just stay home."

Draco frowned and said, "You don't have to stay home just because I do."

"Course I do. I wouldn't leave you," Neville said and Draco looked away before Neville could see him smile.

"Well if you're going to guilt me into it then fine," Draco said with a huff. "I suppose a party might be a nice change of pace."

The bell over the door tinkled and Neville let Draco's hand go as two old ladies tottered in.

"Oh hello Neville!"

"Good afternoon Mrs Foster, Mrs Garrett," he said with a polite smile.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us this gorgeous man was staying with you. Did you think you could keep him all to yourself?"

"I had no idea he had a fan-club," Neville said gleefully as Draco glared daggers at him.

"We've got eyes, haven't we?" Mrs Foster said as she and her partner in crime grinned at Draco, who was becoming redder by the second.

"I can't argue with you, he's very easy on the eyes," Neville said, and Draco looked as though his head might explode. "Well, I'll leave you to your admirers and see you at home."

"I'm going to make you pay for this," Draco growled under his breath as Neville slipped out of the shop with a grin.

Later on that evening, Neville waited in the kitchen while Draco tried on an array of clothes Neville had left for him that would be suitable party attire. It wasn't a dressy affair but Draco had been shuffling around in Neville's old trousers and baggy jumpers for a month and they wouldn't do.

"Come on," he shouted up the stairs. "There must be something you like."

"I'm coming," came the reply. "Just…you will tell me if I look like a dick, won't you?"

"I promise," Neville said, rolling his eyes.

The stairs creaked and Draco appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. He was dressed in dark, midnight-blue jeans with a pale, grey jumper. It was a simple enough outfit but it looked fantastic, especially with the man's hair tied half-up and Neville felt such a surge of attraction that he was sure it was written all over his face.

"Well? Do I look like a dick?" Draco asked nervously.

"Most definitely not," Neville said, trying to keep his voice level.

"What?" Draco asked as Neville continued to stare.

"Draco, you look fucking hot," he said, unwilling to beat around the bush.

Draco flushed and said, "Shut up."

"I mean it," Neville insisted. "Those clothes never looked that good on me."

"Yeah right," Draco scoffed. "You're fucking gorgeous, _everything_ looks good on you."

Draco looked embarrassed by his admission and Neville had never imagined a world in which Draco bloody Malfoy would call him fucking gorgeous. "Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I guess we both scrub up alright, hey?"

Draco gave him one of those endearing smiles that Neville found thoroughly charming and his attraction seemed to jump a notch. "Come on then, let's get up there."

They walked up to the main house and Neville let them in. They were greeted by Greta, the head of the research team, who got them both a drink and Neville guided Draco to the living room where he introduced him to the team that lived there.

"Fancy a tour?" Neville asked as Kasia finished telling them about the project she was working on.

"Sure, sounds good."

The ground floor was very much the same as it had been when his grandmother was alive and served as communal living areas for those who lived there. The first floor had been converted into state-of-the-art labs, courtesy of the Institute, while the second floor contained bedrooms.

"This is incredible," Draco said as Neville showed him around the primary lab.

"One day I'll sell the whole place to the Institute but at the moment the money from leasing it keeps me pretty comfortable."

"So you run your business, guest edit for Herbology journals and produce research papers," Draco said with a tone of disbelief.

"Um…I'm also an associate professor at the Institute. They offered me a fellowship last year."

"Merlin's balls, Neville," Draco said with a laugh. "Could you be any more impressive?"

Neville grinned and said, "If it makes you feel any better I'm still shite at Potions. If I attempted to brew anything there's a good chance I'd wipe Hampshire off the map."

"Well that's something," Draco said wryly "So what research are you working on at the moment?"

"I'm trying to figure out if I can use an invasive species to cross-pollinate the species it's invaded."

"So it would work like a vaccine?"

"Exactly," Neville said with an enthusiastic nod.

"And can it be done?"

"Come here," Neville said, and Draco complied. Neville indicated to the microscope and Draco looked in it, Neville standing behind him.

"What am I looking at?" Draco asked.

Neville reached over and adjusted the lens, enveloping Draco in the process. "Can you see the way the things on the right-hand side are making their way across the slide?"

"Mmhm."

"Well I think if I can slow that process I can use a reagent to make the invaded species become the one to start the process. It's fiddly but I think it can be done."

Draco turned his head to look at Neville, their faces close. He smiled and said, "Must be nice to be a genius."

Neville reached out and brushed his knuckles down the side of Draco's face, unable to stop himself. Draco smiled and Neville felt his stomach flutter. He liked being this close to Draco, liked being able to touch him, although that in itself was really rather confusing.

Draco, for his part, seemed to drink in the affection. He had spent many an evening curled around Neville's torso while they'd watched TV and, as truly bizarre as it was, Neville enjoyed it. He was still mindful though that Draco had an incredibly complicated relationship with all things physical, and he didn't even know what it was they were doing together.

They went back down to the party and Draco seemed to relax a little as they mingled. Neville tried to stay close, to give the man an anchor, and Draco seemed to appreciate it. He stood closer than was strictly necessary and Neville found himself placing his hand in the small of Draco's back, resting it gently as they talked.

He was inevitably cornered by Greta, who was incapable of talking about anything else besides work. He was side-tracked for a good half an hour while she picked his brains and his eyes kept flicking to Draco to make sure he was ok. As Greta talked, he watched as Luca approached him the man wearing his 'aren't I charming' smile."

Draco was obviously becoming more agitated the longer Luca talked to him and he looked like a trapped animal. Luca was nice enough but he could be a little pushy and he thought himself more of a catch than he actually was.

Draco looked panicked and Neville knew he needed rescuing. He extracted himself from Greta with a polite apology and made his way over to Draco, wrapping an arm around Draco's waist and saying, "Sorry Luca, I need to borrow Draco for a moment."

He could feel how tense Draco was, pressed against his body, and guided him gently out of the patio door and into the garden. Draco's breathing was laboured and Neville rubbed his back soothingly as they walked.

"Fucking hell, I'm pathetic," Draco said, his voice strangled.

"It's ok, tell me what's wrong. Was Luca inappropriate?"

"No," Draco said, shaking his head. He moved to stand in front of Neville, his expression agonised. "It's just…I could tell he was into me, that he was flirting and it…scared me."

"Scared you?"

"Look, I know it's ridiculous," Draco said, twisting his hands in front of him. "I was a prostitute, I've fucked hundreds of men, but I've never…I've never had anything normal. I've never slept with anyone who was my choice, I've never flirted and gone home with someone just because I wanted to. I don't know how to do any of this and I'm a mess."

"It's ok, take a breath," Neville said, placing his hands either side of Draco's face gently. "I know this is difficult."

"It's more than difficult. It's…fucked up. I should be able to deal with someone chatting me up without having a bloody panic attack."

"Come on, let's get you home, you're shivering."

Neville wrapped an arm around him and they walked back to the cottage. Neville settled Draco into the armchair in front of the fire, wrapping a blanket around him and pouring him a small finger of the whisky he had left over from Christmas.

"You must think I'm a complete twat," Draco said shakily.

"You know I don't."

"I don't know what to do, Neville," Draco whispered. "Have you ever heard of a rent-boy who's scared of sex?"

"Draco if that's all you've ever known you're bound to have a complicated relationship with it." He took hold of the man's hand as he sat on the footstool in front of the armchair. "Were you…were you a virgin before you began…" he trailed off as Draco looked pained. "Sorry, I have no right to ask that."

"It's ok," Draco said softly. "I…want to talk about it. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Neville wasn't sure at all. He didn't know if he was ready to hear the full extent of what Draco had been through but Draco needed to talk about it and Neville had promised to help. He squeezed the man's fingers and said, "I'm listening."

Draco took a deep, shuddering breath and clutched Neville's hand tightly. "After my mother…died I um…I decided to try my luck in the muggle world. I was there for six months but I had no qualifications or even any proof that I'd attended school. I had none of the official stuff you need to get work so I ended up working cash-in-hand jobs in some pretty dodgy places.

"I was barely surviving so I limped back to the wizarding world in the summer of 2000. It…didn't go well. I didn't have any NEWTs and one look at the Mark on my arm and I was shown the door. I ended up working for a potions maker, an immoral and unscrupulous bastard who peddled mostly illegal stuff and paid me a pittance for my services. I was struggling so badly and…I guess I was easy prey."

Draco paused and looked into the fire, his face pinched as his hand continued to hold Neville's, his knuckles almost white. Neville felt nervous; he didn't want to hear the dreadful things Draco had suffered but the man needed to speak about it and Neville needed to support him.

"I was picked up by a brothel owner in Knockturn, who offered me bed and board if I worked as a cleaner. It was more money than I was on with the potions guy so I jumped at it. As time went by though…he began dropping hints and suggesting I could make a fortune working…like the other blokes did. I didn't know what to do, I was so lost and confused and I just thought…if I could save some money up…perhaps I could find a way out of there."

Draco was trembling now, his pale face flushed, and Neville's heart ached for him. Draco swallowed hard and continued, "I agreed and told him I was a virgin. Merlin, his eyes lit up like Christmas. I didn't realise…I was so fucking naïve. In January 2001…my virginity was auctioned off."

Neville felt sick. He tried to keep his face neutral but all he wanted was to gather Draco up in his arms and promise him that nothing would ever hurt him again.

"It was so painful," Draco said in a whisper. "I was terrified and he was so…so rough. I just wanted to escape but I couldn't and I…just tried to shut down until it was all over. I cried myself to sleep that night. After that it just got worse. The brothel owner took over half of what I made and the punters just seemed to get more aggressive and more perverted.

"I started using drugs to block it all out, to make myself numb. I just…saw myself as something to be used, I became almost entirely disconnected from my body and I was just…a toy for people to play with. I lost all sense of myself, all respect, and each time I used…I'd pray that I'd accidentally overdose. I spent the next six years just…existing, sinking further and further each day."

His hand gripped Neville's fingers almost painfully as his eyes filled with tears. "So here I am," he said, his voice a hoarse rasp, "26 years old and I've been fucked every possible way and yet some guy harmlessly chatting me up sends me into a panic attack."

Neville was so dumbstruck that he could do nothing but sit there, holding Draco's hand and letting his eyes rake over Draco's devastated expression. He'd never heard anything so painfully tragic in his life and his chest felt tight as his heart pounded.

The silence had gone on for too long and he knew it but there was nothing he could say to make it better. He was horrified and heartbroken in equal measure and he just wanted to find a way to erase all the pain Draco had suffered.

"I knew you'd be disgusted," Draco said in a low murmur.

"No," Neville said quickly, leaning forward and cupping Draco's cheek gently. "I'm not disgusted by you, not in the slightest. I'm just…I'm so sorry you've had to go through this. I wish I could take it all away from you."

Tears began to fall and Neville shifted to scrunch into the armchair, throwing an arm around Draco's shoulders and pulling him close. He wrapped the man up and held him close as he cried, cradling his head against his chest and raking his fingers through his hair. He didn't know how long they stayed there for but the fire began to die and the evening drifted well into night.

Neither of them said anything and Draco cried so much Neville worried he would make himself sick. He felt overwhelmed and lost but, as Draco finally drifted off to sleep snuggled tightly against him, he knew that he wanted to help the man more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed your second offering of the week. Please leave a review and let me know.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Neville watched from the window of Harry's farmhouse kitchen as Draco built a snowman with Teddy in the garden. It was the end of February and the weather had turned frosty, resulting in a blizzard that had covered the whole country. The South hadn't been hit as badly as its northern counterpart but they had managed a respectable few inches and Teddy was revelling in it.

"I'll have to get him in soon, he'll be getting cold," Neville said, smiling as Teddy hit an unsuspecting Draco with a snowball.

"He's a pretty resilient kid," Harry said, filling up the kettle. "He'll be fine."

"Oh, I was talking about Draco," Neville said, blushing as Harry's eyebrows rose. "I just mean…it's not good for him to be out there too long."

Harry gave him an amused smile and said, "Anyone ever tell you you're cute when you're flustered?"

"Piss off."

Harry folded his arms and gave Neville one of those looks that he always found infuriating. Harry could be an insightful, perceptive little shit when he wanted to and Neville had often been on the receiving end of his acumen.

"What?" Neville said defensively.

"Nothing. You're just very…concerned about him."

"Well yeah. Obviously."

"No, it's… _cuter_ than that."

"Seriously, piss off."

"You want to tell me what's going on?"

"All this because I'm worried about him getting cold?" Neville groused.

Harry grinned and said, "You're even cuter when you're defensive."

"Look, you're lucky you're pregnant or I'd be throwing something very heavy at your head."

Harry held his hands up in surrender and said, "Fine, I'll leave it alone for now. How is he anyway? His health was improving on my last check-up and he's put on weight."

"He's definitely better. He's stronger and fitter…it's his mental health that concerns me. He had a lot to work through."

Harry nodded. Neville had encouraged Draco to speak to him, which he'd done, although not in as much detail as he'd gone into with Neville. Harry was trying to convince him of the benefits of seeing a therapist but Draco was reluctant. Still, Harry was being so kind to him that Neville couldn't help but be grateful.

"And…living with him?" Harry asked.

"So when you said you'd leave it alone you were lying?"

"I'm just asking," Harry said innocently.

Neville huffed and said, "I like living with him, ok?"

Harry's eyebrows were nearly in his hairline as he said, "You _like_ it?"

"Harry – "

"You _like_ it? This from the man who could barely stand having a boyfriend spend the _night_?"

"What do you want me to say? Yes, I like living with him, yes, I like eating dinner together and yes, I like it when we cuddle up together on the sofa."

Apparently it was possible for Harry's eyebrows to get higher and they all but disappeared as he said, "You do what now?"

"It's perfectly innocent," Neville insisted. "I'm just…I'm acclimatising him to touch. He hasn't had any affection in his life and I'm just…showing him what it's like. He needs kindness."

Harry let out a long whistle and said, "Nev, be careful."

"Careful of what?"

"You know full well what."

Neville was saved from answering by Draco and Teddy nosily coming in from the cold, George on their heels as he laughed with Draco about something.

"It's so cold out there," Draco said with a shudder as he made a beeline straight for the large fireplace. Neville cast a wordless warming charm over him and the man shot him a grateful smile.

"Mm, come warm me up, darling," George said, slipping behind Harry and wrapping his arms around him. His hands slid over the tiny bump under Harry's jumper as he said, "How's my daughter doing?"

"Daughter?" Neville echoed in surprise. "I thought you guys weren't finding out."

"We're not," Harry said with a smile. "This one's just decided he's a bloody seer and convinced himself it's a girl."

"It is a girl," George insisted. "You think so too, don't you, Teddy?"

"Yep," Teddy said with a nod as he rifled through the fruit bowl on the table. "Definitely a girl."

"Well, either way, this little one has finally stopped making me feel sick, so I'm pretty thrilled," Harry said, covering George's hand with his own.

"Have you felt any movement yet?" Draco asked, still warming himself by the fire.

"Just a slight fluttering, like butterflies in my stomach. She won't start kicking for another month or so."

"You're saying 'she' now too," George said with a triumphant grin.

"Oh shush. Are you ready for dinner?"

"Give me half an hour," George said with an apologetic smile. "I need to go through the books, my bloody accountant's flaked out on me again and I can't keep putting it off."

"Do you want me to help?" Draco offered.

"Help? Doing the books?" George asked.

Draco nodded. "I can take a look if you like. One benefit of being raised a Malfoy means business and money are knocked into you from birth. Actually…can that be considered a benefit?"

"Who knows?" said George with a grin. "But I'd like to ruthlessly take advantage of it. Come on, I'll treat you to a glass of Ogden's finest if you'll come and make sense of this financial nonsense."

George led him out of the kitchen and Neville felt Harry's scrutinising gaze fall on him again. Determined to avoid questions he had no answers for, he slung an arm around Teddy's shoulders and said, "Come show me how your tropical fish are getting on, darling."

Harry squinted dubiously at him as he left the room but he pretended not to see it, just as he pretended he couldn't see any of the other looks the man threw his way during the evening. Just because he sat next to Draco at dinner and then sat rather close to him on the sofa afterward, it didn't need analysing and it certainly didn't need Harry's raised eyebrows.

Draco had sorted George's accounts out in record time and the two then spent the rest of the evening speaking about a new line of products George was working on. Draco had been such a little snot at school that it was sometimes easy to forget that he had actually been a brilliant pupil.

He was sharp and quick with a deep knowledge across all subjects. He and George batted ideas back and forth and Neville liked seeing Draco so lively and animated. His eyes lit up and his speech was quick and excited. He kept gesturing with his hands, so much so that he nearly knocked his wine over, and Neville watched with a smile as he and George scribbled notes and plans, Harry telling them off for using his best parchment.

"I'm absolutely knackered," Draco said with a yawn as they stepped out of the fireplace arriving back home.

"I'm not surprised," Neville said with a laugh. "You haven't shut up all night."

Draco gave him a delightfully boyish grin that did funny things to his stomach and said, "I had fun."

He sounded so surprised by it that Neville felt a huge swell of affection for him. "I think George did too. Since his business partner moved to America and became more of a silent partner I think he's missed having someone to bounce ideas around with. He's as much of a geek as you are."

"I'm not a geek," Draco protested with a look of outrage.

"You manage to hide it well, especially being so handsome, but yes you are."

Draco flushed and looked away, saying, "Don't be daft. I'm not handsome."

"That's why you have your own fan-club in the village is it?"

"They're all half-blind," Draco said dismissively, fiddling with a bunch of letters piled on the mantlepiece.

"Well, _I'm_ not half-blind," Neville said, wondering if he should have had that third glass of wine, "and _I_ think you're handsome. Bloody handsome," he added for good measure.

Draco looked up from the mantlepiece, a smile teasing the corner of his lips. "Well, you're not half-blind but you _are_ a little slow. Your opinion can't be counted."

"How rude," Neville said with feigned affront. "Fine, you're not handsome, you're an ugly troll. Happy?"

"Very," Draco said as he sauntered past him. "We all pale in comparison to you anyway. You're the one who's _bloody handsome_."

Neville grinned as Draco made his way up the stairs, wondering, not for the first time, if they were flirting with one another. He found Draco attractive, that was indisputable, but Draco had a difficult relationship with flirting and intimacy so it was hard to tell.

Still, he received affection from Neville without issue and had even instigated it on occasion. He didn't shy away from touches and he trusted Neville enough to fall asleep curled up with him on the sofa. Neville didn't know what that meant though and Harry's earlier warning to be careful came back to him with a haunting echo.

He pushed it to the back of his mind for the next few days as he and Draco continued their routine as usual. He'd confessed to Harry that he liked living with Draco and it was true, which was baffling in itself. He'd always found other people's presence irritating, especially in his home, and he'd often found himself actively discouraging former paramours from spending time there.

With Draco it was different. The man was perfectly capable of keeping himself busy and he didn't need Neville to entertain him. He was quiet and respectful of Neville's need for space and Neville found it very pleasant to have the man's company in the dark winter evenings. He could admit that there had been times when the empty cottage had felt lonely and having someone around to banish that loneliness was nicer than Neville had expected.

The crisp winter weather gave way to endless rain as March rolled around and Neville remembered how much he sometimes hated British weather. After relentless days of constant downpours, Neville gave up on any work outside and shut himself away in his study writing articles and working on his research paper.

When it came to anything to do with plants Neville could be very academic and he enjoyed becoming a bookworm and channelling Hermione while he worked on his more intellectual pursuits. He had built a well-respected standing in his field and he had even been approached to write a new textbook to be used at Hogwarts.

"That makes no sense," he murmured to himself as he read through the last paragraph he'd written. "What a pile of crap." He chucked the paper down on the desk and rubbed his eyes tiredly, deciding he needed a break.

He tramped down to the kitchen and filled the kettle up, yawning as he blinked, trying to wake himself up. He was trying to choose between tea or coffee when the back door opened and Draco came in, dripping wet and looking thoroughly miserable.

"You know, the walk back from the shop feels a lot bloody longer when you're in the middle of a typhoon," he groused, stripping off his top layer and yanking his boots off.

"You're soaked," Neville said, earning himself a deadpan expression from Draco.

"Aren't you observant?" he said, giving his hair a shake.

"You know, most people can't pull of the drowned rat look but on you it works."

"Get fucked."

Neville grinned and said, "Why don't we get you nice and dry? Maybe then your face won't be so sour."

Neville cast a quick drying charm over him then placed a hand in the small of his back and guided him to the living room, settling him in front of the fire. He tucked him up in the blanket and perched on the arm, saying, "Better?"

"Maybe," Draco said, nestling into Neville's side. "Merlin it's miserable out there."

"Well you can spend the rest of the afternoon snuggled up here getting warm."

"Mm, I love this place. It's so nice to be somewhere warm and safe."

Draco rested his head on Neville's hip and Neville slowly carded his fingers through Draco's soft hair, loving the thought that he was the one keeping the man warm and safe, that he'd given Draco this safe haven and he could keep him protected. Draco gave a soft little sigh and Neville decided there and then that his work could go to hell for the rest of the afternoon.

"Did your fan-club come to see you?" Neville asked as he continued to stroke Draco's hair.

"Not even they're brave enough to venture out in this. It was a slow shift."

"I should have come to get you, apparated you back," Neville said, feeling guilty.

"Don't be daft, it's just a little rain…or…rather a lot of rain but still. It would be a lot easier if I still had my bloody wand and could live like an actual sodding wizard."

Neville's hand stilled and he bit his lip, his eyes darting to the cabinet in the corner of the room. Realising the gentle hand had stopped its stroking, Draco tilted his head to look up at Neville with a questioning look.

"Sorry," Neville said quietly. "I was just thinking that…" he trailed off and gently disentangled himself from Draco, taking a deep breath as he stood in front of the cabinet that had made its way down from the main house. He extracted a wooden box from it, blowing the dust off before he walked back to Draco and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Draco asked.

"My father's wand," Neville replied, feeling his pulse quicken.

"Oh Neville…no…I couldn't," Draco said, looking down at the box in his hands.

"I want you to have it, at least until you manage to get your own wand. You shouldn't have to live like a muggle."

"I don't know what to say," Draco said, running his hands over the polished wood reverently. "This is so generous." He looked up at Neville, his expression so tender that it nearly took Neville's breath away. "You really are a fucking rare find."

Neville gave him an embarrassed smile and Draco reached out to take hold of Neville's hand. "Are your parents still…"

"Mum is. Dad passed away a couple of years ago," Neville said, curling his fingers around Draco's.

"I'm so sorry." Draco shook his head and said in a strained voice, "I can't have his wand. My bloody aunt is the reason your parents – "

"No," Neville said gently. "We're not going there. You're not responsible for that mad bitch and I'm not having you thinking that way."

"But my fucking family – "

"It's done, Draco. It's in the past," Neville said, cupping the man's chin and keeping his head up. "We're not our parents and I can't deal with the pressure the previous generation's put on us. We're starting over and I want you to have this wand."

"You're too fucking good for this world, Neville, I swear," Draco said with a sigh. "I don't deserve this and you can argue the toss until you're blue in the face but it's true. I'm not stoic enough to refuse it though so I'll take it, and gratefully so."

"You _do_ deserve it," Neville argued, "and it'll make me happy if you use it."

Draco gave his hand a tug and Neville squeezed himself into the armchair next to him. Draco ended up half on his lap and Neville wrapped his arms around the man's waist, smiling as he held onto him tightly.

"So, I'm not getting any work done this afternoon then?" Neville asked, trying not to grin too widely.

"Doesn't look like it, does it? You know you'd rather be here with me watching that house renovation show anyway."

"It's true, I can't deny it."

"Any chocolate hobnobs left?" Draco asked, wiggling to get himself comfortable and doing very strange things to Neville in the process.

"Go and see for yourself, you lazy git," Neville replied, shifting slightly to avoid the monumental embarrassment of Draco realising that his squirming had made Neville half-hard.

"And here I was thinking you were going to spoil me," Draco said with a pout, hoisting himself up and heading for the kitchen.

They spent a ridiculously pleasant afternoon snuggled together in the armchair. Neville decided not to question why they had chosen to do so when there was a perfectly serviceable sofa they could have used. The rain continued to hammer down outside, pelting against the window as the wind rattled the cottage. They watched trashy TV and ate junk food and Neville was in heaven.

Draco nestled against him and Neville alternated between stroking his hair and rubbing the man's back. He had never been this tactile, indeed he had always found it difficult sharing his personal space and had struggled with doing so in the past. It baffled him how it could come so easily to him with Draco of all people but it was almost as though his fingers ached to touch him.

Draco leant into every touch, arched into every gentle press of Neville's fingers and cuddled into him without hesitation. Neville found it hard to comprehend how someone who had spent his youth so standoffish and removed from everyone could accept affection so openly but perhaps the way he had spent his former years had starved him of that much-needed affection and he now wanted to drink in all he could.

For all he'd been spoilt, for all the money he'd had lavished on him, the man had had precious little kindness in his life and Neville could see how much Draco needed it. He'd lived through such horrors in the past few years that Neville just wanted to erase all the pain and make it better. Fundamentally, he wanted to look after the man and that thought scared him as much as it confused him.

"Ok, I need a break from this nonsense," Draco said with a yawn, stretching and pressing closer to Neville. "I'm off for a bath, then I'll make us some dinner."

"No it's ok, I'll make it."

"It's my turn, you cooked yesterday," Draco argued.

"Yeah but you're the one who's had a rough day."

"But I'm planning on making that broccoli pasta bake thing you like so much," Draco said with a sly smile and Neville felt an answering one tug at his lips. It was all so bloody _domestic_ and Neville was enjoying it for reasons he couldn't fathom. "That's settled then," Draco said with a triumphant smile.

He hoisted himself up and Neville placed his hands on the man's hips and gave him a gentle push, appreciating the play of muscles beneath his palms. Draco gave him a funny little smile over his shoulder and said, "Be back in a bit."

Neville tried to wipe the smile from his face as Draco disappeared up the stairs. He couldn't remember a pleasanter afternoon and all they'd done was sit and watch nonsense television. Granted they'd done so while being snuggled up cosily together, but still. He knew at some point he was going to have to sit down and examine what the hell was going on but he was content to enjoy it a little longer before reality came crashing down.

"Neville?" Draco called down the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"I can't turn the bloody tap off, I'm about to flood the bathroom!"

Neville hopped up the stairs and found Draco on the landing, a towel around his waist. He ducked into the bathroom and tried to turn the tap off but it just kept twisting. "Bugger," Neville said, pulling out his wand and casting a couple of charms. The water stopped and Neville stood up, saying, "The washer's probably worn down. I'll pick up a new one tomorrow."

"You're a plumber now?" Draco said with a smirk as he leant against the doorframe with his arms folded.

"I've been known to dabble."

"What a thought."

Neville couldn't stop his eyes from raking over Draco's body. The man had put a healthy amount of weight on and was no longer painfully thin and his body was looking stronger as a result. There was still a fair amount of scarring, which Neville assumed would never go away, but the man's body was appealing, Neville couldn't deny it.

He met Draco's eyes and saw that the man was flushed. "I'm a state, I know it," he said self-consciously, crossing his arms more firmly across himself.

"You're really not," Neville insisted.

Draco snorted and said, "You don't have to lie, I know it's not a pleasant sight."

Neville stepped closer and said gently, "I was actually just thinking the exact opposite."

Draco's eyes widened but he shook his head and said, "Don't be ridiculous."

Neville placed his fingers beneath Draco's chin and tilted his head up. "You're an attractive man, Draco," he said softly. "I'm not just saying it, it's true."

In that exact moment Neville wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around the man and kiss him senseless. The growing attraction he'd been feeling seemed to crescendo, threatening to overwhelm him. He had no right to be feeling that way, no right to assume that Draco wanted that from him. He was meant to be looking after him, not projecting his own feelings onto the man.

He caught himself and Draco must have seen the conflict in his face. "What?" Draco asked with a frown.

"I should um…I should you leave you to your bath," he said, trying to squeeze past Draco out of the bathroom but the man blocked his path.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"Nothing, I – "

"Neville," Draco said firmly, "what is it?"

Neville sighed and said, "I was about to make a very dickhead move."

"What dickhead move?"

Feeling himself flush, Neville said, "I was about to kiss you."

"You were what?" Draco asked in surprise.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's totally inappropriate and I have no right to do anything like that, especially when you're so vulnerable and after you've been through so much. It isn't right to – "

"I beg your pardon?" Draco said and Neville stopped in his tracks. He couldn't interpret the look on the man's face but he knew it wasn't good. "You just decided this, did you? Decided that I couldn't possibly have any autonomy in the matter because I'm nothing more than a traumatised wreck?"

"No, that isn't what I – "

"I'm more than a collection of traumas, Neville," Draco said heatedly, "and I should get to choose what happens in my own damn life."

He sidestepped Neville and slammed the bathroom door in his face, leaving Neville standing on the landing, blinking in shock. He had no idea how he'd managed to mess things up so spectacularly but he was more confused than ever and he had no idea what to do. He took a deep breath and decided to see if he had any strong alcohol in the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a comment and let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Draco remained in his bedroom all night and all of the next day too. Neville couldn't summon the courage to go and knock on his door and he had no idea what he would say even if Draco did answer. He was hopelessly confused and he had no idea how to make things better. He knew he'd messed up but he also felt that he'd done the right thing in stepping back.

Draco was fragile and in a difficult place; he didn't need Neville muddying the waters and making things difficult. He was in Neville's home to recuperate, not to be hit on, and Neville felt like an arse. Still, Draco's admonishment kept ringing in his ears and Neville knew he'd handled the situation badly.

The problem was that Neville really was attracted to Draco, very much so, and if his brain hadn't kicked in at the wrong, or right, moment then he would have given into it and kissed the man for all he was worth. He wanted to, so very badly, and it was sending his mind into all sorts of conniptions.

He'd shoved it into a dark corner of his mind for so long that he'd almost forgotten the wildly inappropriate crush he'd developed for Draco in 7th year. It had been such a difficult time back then and his burgeoning sexuality had been the least of his worries but he'd still noticed the other boy and had found himself indulging in one or two X-rated fantasies starring him.

He'd never imagined, of course, that ten years later the man would be living in his home, a shadow of his former self. It was a ridiculous situation to be in and Neville wished he could escape it, if only for a day.

He shut his book with a sigh, having spent an hour reading the same page and getting nowhere. He hadn't been able to concentrate all day and it was getting on for midnight; it seemed wise to give the whole thing up for a lost cause. He rubbed at his eyes and hoped he'd be able to get some sleep tonight as the previous night's endeavour had been thoroughly unsuccessful.

He was trying to tidy his desk into some semblance of order when a tentative knock sounded on the door. "Come in," he said uncertainly, getting to his feet as Draco appeared in the doorway, hovering awkwardly. "Hi," Neville ventured, wondering if it was possible to feel more uncomfortable.

"Hi," Draco echoed, shifting from one foot to the other. His hair was falling softly around his face and Neville's fingers itched to touch it.

 _What a wildly inappropriate thing to think right now_ , Neville thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at himself.

"I'm an arse," Draco said eventually, taking him by surprise.

"What? No, I'm the one who – "

"Just shut up and let me say this," Draco said, looking a little bolder as he stepped into the room. He met Neville's eyes with a look of resolve as he said, "I massively over-reacted and I'm embarrassed about it. You're the first person in a long time who's actually taken my feelings into account rather than just taking what they wanted from me."

"I would never – "

"I said shut up," Draco said, and Neville complied. "I'm not used to people treating me like a human being and I'm certainly not used to the sort of kindness you've shown me. Having said that," Draco said, moving closer still, Neville feeling the back of his legs hitting the desk, "I'm still a grown man and even with all the shit I've been through I'd like to be granted a say in my own life."

"And I understand that, I didn't mean to – " Draco raised a pale eyebrow and Neville said, "Shut up, right?"

Draco nodded and said, "I know I'm a mess, I really do, and I know I have a tremendously fucked up relationship with anything pertaining to…sex or intimacy but there's still enough of me left to know what I want." He paused, looking as though he was trying to find the impetus to continue, and Neville had sense enough to stay silent.

"What I want right now is to kiss you," Draco whispered, "and I want you to kiss me back."

His hand slid around Neville's neck and Neville's pulse quickened as Draco's lips landed on his own. They were unbelievably soft and Neville practically melted into him as he brought his arms up to encircle Draco's waist. He'd never had a kiss like this in his life before and his legs felt like they'd buckle from underneath him with the intensity of it.

It was the was perfect amount of pressure, the play of Draco's lips against his paced so exquisitely that Neville felt as though he was teetering on the edge of something he desperately wanted to fall into. His hands gripped Draco a little more firmly and the man's fingers against his neck felt hot and insistent.

"Holy hell," Neville breathed as Draco pulled back slowly, his hand still curled at the base of Neville's head. He knew he should be trying to play it a little cool but he was overwhelmed and his senses were pinging wildly. "I've never had a kiss like that."

Draco smiled, but it was soft and gentle, devoid of smugness of self-satisfaction. "Me neither," he confessed quietly.

They stayed close for a few moments, their hands holding onto each other as the silence played out between them. Neville wanted nothing more than to dive straight back in, to taste Draco even more fully, to pull his body that bit more firmly against his own, but he had to show some restraint.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," he said eventually, his voice a little rough.

Draco shook his head. "You didn't, I was being a dick about it. I…appreciate that you wanted to protect me but…I'm still capable of making my own decisions."

"I know," Neville said, letting his hands move gently up and down Draco's lean sides.

"Neville, I like you, I _really_ like you and Merlin's balls you're hot as fuck but…I have no clue what that means. My head's messed up and I've never had a functioning relationship in my life…not that I expect this to become…I mean…I wouldn't be averse to that but you might not…I don't know what you – "

Neville placed a finger to the man's lips and said with an affectionate smile, "Take a breath before you pass out."

Neville removed his hand and Draco did as instructed, looking sheepish as he did so. "Why don't we try and behave like two people in their 20s?" he suggested, and Draco frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, how about we try and drop all the baggage and angst and just…see what happens?"

"You mean date?" Draco asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Is that so improbable?"

"I don't…I don't know," Draco replied, looking a little lost. "I've never done that before. Merlin, I'm pathetic," he groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Look, take my advice and run for the hills. I'm a fucked up wreck of a person who's never had anything normal in his life and I'll screw this up like I've screwed everything else up. I don't even know if I'd be able to…to sleep with you. I'd probably just have a panic attack and knee you in the groin. What a prince, eh?"

He turned and headed for the door but Neville caught his arm and pulled him back, saying, "Whoa there! You just made so many leaps I'm surprised you didn't pull a muscle. Let's take a moment and examine the facts – you like me, yes?"

Draco nodded. "Yes I bloody like you," he said, looking down at the ground.

"Good, and I like you too. I find you ridiculously attractive and no one in my 26 years on this planet has ever kissed me the way you just did. Things with you…they come more easily than they've ever done with people in the past and I…I wouldn't mind exploring that."

Draco looked up at him, trepidation evident in his face, as he said, "Do you really want to get mixed up with all my fucking issues?"

"We all have issues, Draco," Neville said, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind Draco's ear. "Granted yours are a little more severe that most but they're not enough to scare me away."

"You say that now," Draco muttered ominously.

"Look, I'm willing to give this a go if you are. We can take things slowly, I think we both need that to be honest."

"What if," Draco began his cheeks flushing as he looked down at the floor again, "what if I can't give you what you need…sexually?"

Neville slipped a finger beneath the man's chin and tilted his head back up until their eyes met. "A relationship is more than just sex and you have more to offer than that. It won't matter."

"Neville you say that but it will matter, you'll come to resent it if I can't – "

"Draco you're used to men who only want one thing from you, living in a world where sex is the only thing that has a currency but I'm telling you that there's more to life than that. Merlin Draco that kiss alone is enough to sustain me for the next six months."

Draco gave a disbelieving snort and Neville said, "I'm bloody serious, it was fantastic." He sighed and let go of Draco's arm, saying, "If this is too much for you then I accept that but if you're reluctant because of some misplaced belief that I won't be able to handle it then I have to tell you to pull your head out of your arse."

"Don't you have a way with words?" Draco said with a laugh.

"It's been said before," Neville said with a grin. "Look, why don't we carry on the way we have been? We can cuddle and cook and watch terrible TV shows together but we can throw in an incredible snog every now and then for good measure. We'll just…see how things go."

"I do like trashy TV…and the cuddling has been pretty wonderful. A snog every now and again couldn't hurt," Draco said, a smile making its way onto his lips.

"Well, with that in mind, I'm going to give you a kiss and then I'm going to bid you goodnight," Neville said, giving Draco's shirt a tug and pulling him forward into a chaste and sweet kiss.

"Goodnight," Draco said softly as they pulled apart.

"Goodnight, Draco. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Neville had no idea what he was doing but he knew that it felt right. It was a topsy-turvy way of doing things, that was for sure, but he couldn't imagine anything involving Draco would be straightforward. Still, being able to touch the man whenever he wanted was incredible and Neville enjoyed being on the receiving end of Draco's growing confidence with affection.

They were going to run into trouble, he knew that with certainty, and Draco's past was sure to create plenty of obstacles for them but Neville couldn't help but feel it was worth it. Whatever it was that was between them, Neville had a feeling it could develop into something special and he was prepared to deal with the risk in order to explore that.

One of those issues was their shared baggage involving the past and, although they'd both been avoiding it, the subject of their 7th year inevitably reared its head. They were able to discuss it with relative equanimity but it was still uncomfortable and not something Neville was keen to bring up regularly.

"I think I lived that whole year on the verge of a nervous breakdown," Draco said as he and Neville sat at opposite ends of the sofa, facing one another as they spoke.

"I think we all did," Neville replied, stroking his thumb gently over Draco's ankle. "It was such a fucked up time."

Draco cradled his mug to his chest and said, "I absolutely hated you." Neville looked at him in surprise and Draco said with a sheepish smile, "By which I mean I had a very confusing crush on you and deeply resented how brave you managed to be while I was such a fucking coward."

"You weren't – "

"Let's not go down that road, neither of us will win. But you were so…strong and stoic."

"I was permanently terrified," Neville confessed, pulling Draco's foot into his lap and beginning to rub it gently. Draco had ridiculously elegant feet, the kind Neville didn't think men usually possessed.

"There was plenty to be terrified of. You seemed to thrive off it though…in a weird kind of way. You…I don't know…you grew into yourself."

"I had to," Neville said with a shrug. "With Harry and the others gone there was no one for people to look to. Someone had to protect the younger ones from the Carrows."

"God, those two still give me nightmares, and I was one of the ones who got off lightly. I remember seeing you after so many detentions with them…bruises and cuts all over your face. I don't know how you stood it."

"I didn't have much choice," Neville said quietly, continuing to rub Draco's foot, wishing they'd never started on this topic.

"You were everything I wanted to be, everything I wished I had the courage to become…and you were gorgeous," he added with a grin that eased a little of the tension.

"I wasn't gorgeous," Neville said with a snort.

"Well, not as gorgeous as you are now of course, but you'd started to grow into your looks and…well…I fancied you."

"Well…I fancied you too," Neville confessed, "which was bloody ridiculous at the time and I hadn't really realised I was gay until that point, so…yeah…7th year was a huge mess for so many reasons."

Draco smiled softly and said, "I wonder if things would have been different if we'd managed to talk to one another back then."

"Best not to dwell on these things," Neville said gently.

"Yeah…I suppose you're right."

The fire crackled and Neville realised they'd talked long into the night and he hadn't even broached the subject he'd meant to bring up. He cleared his throat and said, "Um…it's George's birthday in a couple of weeks, which is also his and Harry's anniversary. They're having a party, to which we're both invited."

Draco's expression was exactly as Neville had anticipated and he said, "Oh…I don't think so. I mean…you should go obviously but I don't think I'm ready to…to see other people."

"It won't be that bad, I promise."

"A party full of Gryffindors who all hate my guts. I think it will be _just_ that bad."

" _Former_ Gryffindors," Neville corrected. "We've all been out of school for a long time. And they don't hate your guts, a lot of water's passed under the bridge."

Draco sighed and pulled his foot off Neville's lap, saying, "Even if they don't hate me, which is a massive if, there's the fact that awkward questions will be asked. ' _So what have you been doing with yourself, Draco?_ ', ' _Oh well I've been selling myself as a sex toy for sadists and developing a debilitating drug habit, wrecking my health and trying to combat my severe emotional scarring_.' I think that might dampen the mood a bit, don't you?"

Neville knew enough to know not to push so he simply nodded and changed the subject. As confrontational as Draco could be, he didn't respond well when it was turned on him. Instead, Neville spent the next couple of weeks dropping the party into conversation, mentioning it casually and hinting at how Harry and George really wanted him to be there.

He continued with the softly-softly approach until finally, the night of the party, Draco came downstairs in smart grey trousers and a navy blue shirt tucked in at the waist. "Hopped a bus into town today, picked these up at a charity shop," he said, his tone needlessly defensive.

"Very nice. Will you be wearing this new outfit around the house tonight then?"

Draco fixed him with a half-hearted glare and said, "I will come to this bloody thing for an hour and that's all."

Neville suppressed a grin and said, "That's fantastic, what made you change your mind?"

"Oh drop the innocent act, you can't pull it off," Draco said, brushing past him to check his reflection in the hallway mirror. "Wearing me down like water on a stone for the last two sodding weeks, thinking you were so bloody subtle. Well, don't think you'll always get your way."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"If I have a terrible time tonight I will personally see to it that you never know peace again."

"You saw to that the moment you came to live here."

"Very funny. Stick to plants, you have no future as a comedian."

"I know you're nervous," Neville said gently, moving closer and slipping a hand to rest on Draco's waist, "but it'll be fine, I promise. You might even have a good time."

"Very likely," Draco said with a snort.

Neville pulled the man forward until their lips pressed together softly. Draco's hands slipped up to his shoulders as his own settled in the small of Draco's back, holding him gently as they kissed. He had little with which to compare kissing Draco; it had never felt this way with other people and he'd never felt so connected to someone with only a simple kiss.

Kissing had always felt kind of arbitrary to him, either that or something too intimate to be done with too many people, which was a little ridiculous given the other things he'd got up to in the past. Every time he kissed Draco though he felt close to him and it didn't hurt that no one in his life had ever kissed him like Draco did.

"Was that just to butter me up?" Draco asked as they pulled apart.

"Only a little bit," Neville admitted with a smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"I'll never be ready," Draco grumbled, but nevertheless let himself be led to the fireplace in the living room.

"The Gables," Neville intoned, before pushing Draco gently through the flames and stepping through himself.

"Lads! Great to see you," George said, wrapping them both up in a hug as they arrived at Harry and George's home.

"On the sherry early?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I am drinking for two as my dear husband has to abstain," George said with a grin.

"Noble, very noble."

"Happy birthday," Draco said, extracting a small gift from his pocket. He flushed and said, "Sorry, it's not much."

"Hey, it's more than this one managed," George said, knocking Neville's shoulder.

"We agreed last year no presents," Neville protested.

"Thank you, Draco. I appreciate it."

Draco gave a stilted smile and said, "I brought jelly babies for Harry too, I know how much he's been craving them."

"Did someone say jelly babies?" Harry said, appearing at George's elbow. Draco handed him a small paper bag that looked fit to burst and Harry's eyes widened as he accepted them. "Oh Draco, thank you!"

"Why does he get gifts on my birthday?" George complained.

"Grow another human inside you and then ask daft questions," Harry said, giving his husband a smack on the back of his head. "Guys, can I get you a drink?"

"Are um…are there a lot of people here?" Draco asked, too nervous to maintain a façade.

"A few," Harry said with a kind smile. "Some from school but a lot from my work or George's. A lot of international people too. None of us is too keen to surround ourselves with reminders from the past."

They made their way into the kitchen and George sorted them some drinks, Neville spying Ginny and Luna instantly. He was relieved; as a way to ease Draco into things they would do perfectly. He waved to Luna and she smiled back, looping her arm through Ginny's and joining them.

"Neville, so good to see you," Luna said, giving him a kiss on the cheek while Ginny wrapped him up in a Weasley hug.

"Hi you two. You remember Draco."

"Why Draco, yes. Hello," Luna said softly, shaking his hand. She studied his face for a moment then said with a said smile, "Oh. Times have been hard, I'm sorry."

Draco looked taken aback and he dropped his hand, saying, "Um…thank you."

Neville had often wondered if Luna had some kind of second sight, especially when she showed that kind of insight into people. Perhaps it was only that she was particularly receptive to people's moods and feelings and could read them accordingly. Either way, she was extraordinarily perceptive and very little escaped her.

"No one mentioned how bloody handsome he'd become," Ginny said with a grin far too much like George's. "The hair looks great, it makes your cheekbones look incredible."

"Thank you. You look…very good yourself," Draco said, clearly flustered. "Professional quidditch has its benefits."

"Doesn't it just? You should see my thigh muscles."

"I believe I'm the only one with that particular privilege," Oliver said, appearing by his wife's side and slinging an arm around her shoulders. "Draco, hello," he added cordially.

"Hi Oliver," Draco said, still looking overwhelmed. "Harry tells me you're coaching the England team now."

"Draco! Uncle Nev!" came a loud shout before a blur of turquoise appeared and Teddy barrelled into both of them. "I'm so glad you're here. Draco come and see my hamster, it's so cool!"

He grabbed Draco's hand and Draco let himself be led out of the kitchen, looking relieved. "I'm not so sure this was a good idea," Neville said with a sigh.

"Just see how it goes," Harry said, clapping him on the shoulder, "he needs time. Everyone here will be respectful, I promise."

"I know, he's just been through so much and he's so…caught up in the past. He can't let it go."

"He will," Luna said in her soft, sing-song voice. "We all have different paths to recovery. He'll find his."

Neville kept a careful eye on Draco throughout the night. The man was unable to relax and he stuck with Teddy, whom he seemed to view as the only safe bet, and only let himself be drawn into conversations if Neville or Harry were part of them. He was polite and managed a smile or two but Neville could see that the man was hating every minute of it.

It had been too much and he knew it; he should have introduced Draco to people from the past in increments, not to mention that it was obvious so large a crowd was too much for him. He was in the middle of talking to one of Harry's colleagues about the healing properties of some of the plants he was cultivating when he saw a flash of blond and Draco disappeared through the fireplace.

"Shit," he cursed, before he found Harry and made his apologies, following Draco through the fireplace and back home.

He found the man in the living room, perched on the footstool, his head in his hands. Neville approached cautiously and paused before he knelt down in front of him and slowly lowered Draco's hands, the man looking at him with an ashen face.

"It was too much," he whispered.

"I know," Neville said gently. "I shouldn't have badgered you to go."

"All those people…people I hurt…or that my fucking family hurt. Luna and Dean were held in my sodding basement and Ginny…Ginny nearly died because of my bloody father. How can I…how can I act as though everything's normal?"

"A lot of time has passed since then, Draco."

"It doesn't undo it all, it doesn't make it better. I can't face those people knowing what I did, knowing I still have this fucking Mark on my arm."

He yanked his sleeve up and Neville saw the ugly tattoo burnt onto Draco's pale flesh. He'd glimpsed it before, when Draco had rolled his sleeves up while he worked in the greenhouses or when he passed Draco on the landing clad only in a towel, but he hadn't seen it this close. It was littered with angry red scars, criss-crossing through it, embedded deep into the skin.

"I tried to cut it out," Draco said, his voice strangled. "But it didn't budge."

"Oh love," Neville whispered, running his fingers lightly over the blemished skin.

"You shouldn't touch it," Draco said, trying to wrench his arm away but Neville held him at the elbow.

"This was a mistake you made as a child," Neville said gently.

Draco gave a mirthless laugh, a horrible, hollow sound, and said, "A mistake? A mistake is getting someone's name wrong, a mistake is being given the wrong order at dinner. What I made was a choice, a terrible one and I've paid the price for it ever since."

"It's time to let it go, Draco. You'll never be able to put the past behind you if you continue to insist on living it. No one there tonight had any hostility towards you but until you can forgive yourself you won't be able to move forward."

"How can I forgive myself?" Draco asked. Neville knew he had meant it as a bitter piece of rhetoric but it had come across as a genuine question, one that he desperately wanted an answer to.

Neville slid his hand up to gently cradle the back of Draco's head and said softly, "By realising that everyone else already has. It's time to move on, love. It's time to let go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapter week to celebrate the fact that I have a job interview! Wish me luck, kids. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Neville sighed and ran his hands through his hair, pushing his chair back from the microscope. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his work all day and he was fairly certain he'd made a number of mistakes in his research notes. He decided to call it a day and head back to the cottage, although he was a little apprehensive about what he was going home to.

Draco had been quiet and withdrawn since the party and Neville didn't know what to do to bring him out of it. He was so wrapped up in the past and Neville couldn't blame him; there was so much baggage for him to carry but Neville worried that the weight of it would crush him.

He entered the cottage and was surprised to hear voices coming from the living room. He recognised them as Harry and Luna's immediately and wondered what they were doing there and if Draco was aware that they were there. He made his way through and found his friends sitting on the sofa, Draco in the armchair opposite.

"Hey guys," he said, relieved to see that things appeared amicable.

"Hey Nev," Harry said with an easy smile. "Been busy?"

"Um…yeah. Just trying to get some research done. What um…what's going on?"

"It's an intervention," Draco said with a wry smile, which came as something of a relief.

"Just so," Harry said, mirroring the smile.

"We're here to convince Draco that the past should stay where it belongs," Luna said softly, "and offer him some ways to do that."

"Oh?" Neville said, perching on the arm of Draco's chair. He resisted the urge to put his arm around the man's shoulders, unsure if Draco wanted the others to know about them.

"Draco can't move forward for a number of reasons and one of those is that he has no qualifications and therefore no way of getting a job, but we can do something about that," Luna said with a smile. "He's expressed discomfort at the thought of working in the wizarding world so muggle qualifications are the way forward."

"But that's not really feasible is it?" Neville asked. "I mean – "

"Don't interrupt. It disrupts the flow of my thoughts." Draco and Harry both sniggered and Luna continued, "In recent years the Ministry has set up a department that liaises with its muggle counterpart to provide people like Draco with the necessary paperwork to use in applying for educational courses."

"Yeah," Harry said, jumping in. "They'll give him GCSE and A-level results, a national insurance number, all the kind of stuff that proves he's an actual person with a paper trail."

"Wow, that's incredible. And you're up for this?" he asked Draco.

"Yes, yes I think I am," Draco said with a nod of his head. "As much as I love Annie I don't want to work in the village shop forever and it would be nice to feel that I have a purpose, something to work towards. I can't go back to…to what I was," he said, frowning and looking down at his hands.

"That won't happen, I promise," Neville said and rested his hand gently on Draco's upper back. "There are so many things in the future, you just need to start looking ahead."

"It's been pretty hard to do that up until now but I'll try."

Harry braced his hands on his knees and said, "Let's go and get your weekly check-up done and dusted."

Draco stood and said, "Are you going to cup me while I cough?"

"If you play your cards right, sure," Harry replied with a grin before wincing and doubling over slightly.

"Are you ok?" Draco asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Harry said, straightening up. "She's just kicking extra hard today. I reckon we have a footballer on our hands. Here, do you want to feel?"

Harry reached out and took hold of Draco's hand, placing it gently on his abdomen. There was a moment's pause before Draco's eyes widened and he said, "Oh wow! I can feel her. That's amazing."

"Pretty neat, huh?" Harry said with a smile. "You can so tell it's a Weasley in there."

Harry led Draco off up the stairs and Neville watched them go with a smile. He knew how excited Harry was about the baby, whom they had all started calling 'her', and it was nice to see Draco looking so enthused about it.

"He'll be a great father," Luna said, absent-mindedly twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"Oh for sure. Well, he's already a dad to Teddy, isn't he?"

"No, I meant Draco."

Neville choked on air and tried to catch his breath, thumping his chest and saying, "What? What are you talking about?"

Luna smiled benignly at him and said, "Not for a while of course, he has a long way to go first, but he had an incredible amount of love to give. Yes, I think he'll make an excellent father."

Neville cleared his throat and said, "Well…I'm sure you're right."

"Of course I am," Luna said with a shrug. "He has a lot of love to give you too, you know."

"Well…it's early days," he replied, not bothering to question how Luna knew. He didn't know what his feelings for Draco were and it was too early to examine them anyway. He'd never been in love before and he wasn't sure he'd recognise it if he were. He had to hope that he and Draco could muddle through things without too much emotional turmoil.

"How did it go with Harry?" Neville asked Draco later when Harry and Luna had left.

"He's pleased with my progress," Draco said as they sat at the kitchen table eating dinner. "He reckons it'll probably take a full year to undo all the damage I did but I'm getting there."

There was silence for a moment as Draco patted his mashed potatoes with his fork, saying eventually, "He said that George's brother, Bill might be able to help with removing the Mark."

"Oh?" Neville said, surprised.

Draco nodded, continuing to prod his dinner. "Something about his work with curse-breaking, he might be able to undo the magic in it…or at least know someone who can."

"Well that's good news, right?" Neville asked, wondering why Draco wouldn't look up.

"I suppose so," Draco said, throwing down his fork and apparently giving up on his dinner. "It's just…I don't know if I deserve to have it removed."

"Draco – "

"No I'm serious. Shouldn't it stay there as a reminder? Shouldn't the world be able to see how wrong I got it? And Bill Weasley helping me? I'm the fucking reason the man's scarred for life."

"Hey, Bill rocks those scars, he thinks they're incredibly sexy."

"Doesn't change the fact," Draco said with a huff.

"Are we going to spend the rest of our lives going over all this? I know you have guilt and shame, and I know I can't begin to understand it all but we've talked about moving forward."

Draco wrapped his arms around his slim torso and said quietly, "Harry wants me to see a mind healer."

"I think that's a good idea."

"Logically…yeah, but having someone root around in my head…laying bare all my problems…I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"You need help, and I'm not saying it unkindly. You have a lot of stuff to work through and I don't think you should do that alone."

Draco gave a resigned sigh and said, "You're right, I know you're right. It's just difficult. The thought of it is so overwhelming."

"Well then just keep it as a thought for now," Neville said gently. "When it seems less overwhelming…then you can think about it."

Later they sat cuddled against one another on the sofa in the living room, the windows open, letting in a pleasantly warm spring breeze. Neville let his fingers card through Draco's hair and listened to the noises his colleagues were making in the greenhouses. Spring was always a busy time in the world of Herbology and Neville enjoyed the activity it brought.

"Have you given any thought to what kind of course you'd like to do?" he asked Draco as the man's hand trailed patterns over his chest.

"Luna left me some literature to look through. I think…I think maybe something where I could help people, people who have been through the same kind of things I have."

"That sounds amazing," Neville said, pressing a kiss to the top of Draco's head.

"There are lots of options for finance as well, student loans, that kind of thing. For the first time in a long time I feel really hopeful. And…if I could help someone who's lost their way…well, it would make up for a lot of the harm I've done."

Neville knew better than to try and argue Draco out of that attitude. There were dark clouds that hung over his head that no fancy words would dispel and it almost felt like an insult to try and negate what he felt. It still hurt to hear the man's harsh thoughts against himself and he fervently hoped that he would consider seeing a mind healer.

A few days later, Bill Weasley made an unannounced visit. Neville was in the middle of making a pot of tea, discussing Fleur and the kids, when Draco arrived home from his shift in the shop. He stopped in his tracks, looking as though he'd like nothing more than to turn and run. Instead, he stood rooted to the ground, his eyes darting between Bill and Neville.

"Draco, good to see you," Bill said affably, getting up and offering Draco his hand.

Draco took it, looking uncertain, and said quietly, "Hi. Bill, right?"

"That's right. Oldest and best-looking Weasley sibling."

"Told you he thought he was gorgeous," Neville said with a snort.

"You're not denying I am, surely?" Bill said with a grin and Neville rolled his eyes. The truth, of course, was that he'd once had a very big crush on the man. He'd spent a lot of time with the Weasleys after the war, Bill included, and he'd enjoyed getting to swoon over him. The crush had faded after a few months but he couldn't deny that Bill was a very handsome man.

"So Draco," Bill said, accepting a cup of tea from Neville, "Harry tells me I might be able to help you."

Draco's hand went instinctively to his covered arm, his shoulders hunched as he said, "I um…I don't know. Have you…done this kind of thing before?"

"Not specifically with the Mark but I have been able to extract dark magic from a tattoo or scarring on a person's skin. It can be a complicated procedure and it's not without its risks but I can certainly see what I can do."

"What would I have to – "

"Let's just start with an examination, mm? Shall we go into the living room?"

"I'll leave you to it," Neville said, preparing to head out to the greenhouses.

"Would you stay?" Draco asked softly.

"Of course," Neville said with a smile.

They made their way into the living room and Neville sat on the edge of the sofa while Draco took the armchair and Bill perched on the footstool in front of him. "Roll up your sleeve for me," he instructed, and Draco complied.

He looked away as Bill examined the Mark, holding his arm carefully before he extracted his wand and performed a series of spells. Draco's face was pale, his jaw clenched tightly, looking as though he would rather be anywhere else at that moment.

"It's a tricky one, no doubt about it," Bill said, pocketing his wand again.

"Does that mean you can't do it?" Draco asked hesitantly.

"Not necessarily. It might just take a slightly different approach than I'm used to using." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful, then said, "I think I'll do a little research, consult with a few colleagues and get back to you in a week or so. I'm hopeful though."

"I can't…I won't be able to pay you," Draco said awkwardly.

Bill gave him a kind smile and said, "There's no charge on favours for friends."

"We're not friends," Draco said, confused rather than nasty.

"Friends by association then," Bill said, unperturbed. "Either way, no charge."

"We were thinking of heading to the pub for dinner. Want to join us?" Neville offered.

"Thanks but I have to get home. Victoire has a school play tonight…unfortunately."

"The trappings of parenthood," Neville said with a wry smile.

"Don't gloat," Bill warned, "it might be you one day. I'll be back in a week or so, let you know what I've come up with."

"Thank you," Draco said sincerely. "I appreciate it."

"No problem. I enjoy a challenge." He gave them both a salute and apparated from the spot.

"Well, that seems promising."

"Yeah, yeah maybe. I guess we'll have to see," Draco said, and Neville was pleased to see that he actually looked quite hopeful.

He decided to leave the topic alone, at least until they heard more from Bill. They took a lazy stroll into the village, the spring evening warm. Neville was glad that the bad winter weather seemed to be behind them, if only for Draco's sake. The poor man couldn't take the cold, although it did lead to some very nice cuddling sessions on the sofa.

The pub was a lively hub in the village centre and most people gravitated to it on a Friday or Saturday night. Neville knew most of the people there and he said friendly hellos to most of them as he and Draco made their way to a nice little nook in the corner.

Deciding not to mention the meeting with Bill, Neville stayed on neutral topics and they mostly spoke about his current struggles with his research. Conversation came easily between them and the rest of the pub seemed to fall away and Neville focused only on the man in front of him.

For a rural place in the middle of Hampshire, people were surprisingly open-minded when it came to more 'cosmopolitan' things. Neville knew barely anyone would bat an eyelid if he reached across the table and took hold of Draco's hand but he didn't know how that would be received. He didn't know if Draco was ready for things to progress outside the world of their little cottage and he didn't want to overwhelm him.

He wasn't even sure what it was they were. Were they a couple? They hadn't told anyone what was going on between them, not even Harry, but things were so tentative that Neville supposed neither of them wanted to rock the boat. They needed baby steps, and Neville was more than prepared to accept that.

They finished their meal and migrated to the bar. A few of the locals believed Neville was some kind of gardener and they always took the opportunity to pick his brains over their horticultural issues. He answered their questions over a pint while Draco stood by with an indulgent smile.

"And are you in the trade?" Sid, the landlord asked and Draco coughed into his lemonade.

"He's a friend from school," Neville said.

"Currently between jobs," Draco added.

"Have you done any bar work?" Sid asked, and Draco smiled.

"Plenty. Sadly nowhere as nice as this place."

"One of my bar staff handed in her notice a couple of days ago, left me in the lurch a bit. Fancy some shifts?"

"That would be brilliant, thanks."

"Face like that would certainly pull in the punters," said a middle-aged woman who as perched on a stool in the corner.

"Cool your heels, Pam. Poor lad doesn't need you salivating all over him."

Sid took Draco through the nuts and bolts while Neville continued to impart gardening advice to the others. It was clear that Draco was at home behind the bar and his confidence seemed to grow as he stood there, his hands on the pumps, smiling at Sid.

"So that's two jobs now then," Neville said as they strolled leisurely back to the cottage.

"Not bad, eh?" Draco said with a smile, tucking himself into Neville's side. "Things are looking up."

"I should say there are."

They made it back slowly, stopping to exchange kisses along the way that had Neville giggling like a schoolboy. Draco was so responsive and Neville had never been kissed the way Draco kissed him. He didn't properly register that they had made it inside and up the stairs until his back hit the bedroom door.

He broke away from Draco, the man's arms around his neck, his lips beautifully swollen. "Do you want to?" he asked gently and Draco nodded. Neville turned the handle and backed them into the room, kissing Draco again as the candles sprang to life.

He pulled the man more firmly into his arms as his tongue insinuated itself into Draco's mouth, revelling in the feeling of electricity that pulsed through him. His hands travelled the length of Draco's back and he could feel the man tense under his touch. He pulled back and saw how uncertain Draco looked, his concern spiking immediately.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered. "I'm sorry but I can't, I don't – "

"Ssh, it's ok," Neville soothed, moving his hands to rest lightly on Draco's waist.

"No it isn't. I knew this would happen," Draco said, looking desolate.

"It doesn't matter," Neville assured him.

"Yes it does," Draco insisted, wrenching himself out of Neville's hold. "What kind of relationship can we have if I can't even – "

"Draco, sex isn't the be all and end all. I doesn't matter to me if you can't – "

"It _will_ matter though, won't it?" Draco said agitatedly. "Six months down the line when you're frustrated and wondering why you're bothering with someone who can barely be touched."

"Well it's nice to know what you think of me."

"Oh come on, Neville. You're a bloke."

"And you're what? A table lamp?" Draco scoffed and Neville said, "Do you think I'm some kind of caveman incapable of controlling my urges?"

"No, of course I don't but it's madness to pretend that this isn't an issue."

"Well maybe I think it's madness to make it this _much_ of an issue. Do you really think that's all I'm interested in? I very happily dated an a-sexual bloke for months."

Draco made a noise of frustration in the back of his throat and said, "Well as you're still not together I'm guessing the lack of sex became a problem."

Neville sighed and said, "No, the fact that we had very little in common and were both too caught up in our jobs led to it fizzling out. Sex had nothing to do with it."

Draco gave a disbelieving shake of his head and Neville said, "You're doing me a disservice thinking that I'm the sort of person who'd treat sex this way."

Draco gave a relenting sigh and seemed to deflate a little. He ran a hand through his hair and tucked a few strands behind his ear. "And I think you're being naïve to pretend it doesn't matter."

"Ok, we're obviously not getting anywhere like this tonight and I'm not prepared to keep going around in circles."

"Fine," Draco said, heading for the door.

"Ah ah, I'm not done yet," Neville said, reaching out and grabbing Draco's arm. "Stay the night with me."

"What? But – "

"Just sleeping. I think it's about time you learnt a little something about intimacy when it's separate from sex."

"I – "

"I'm not going to force you or insist on it. I'm just going to go and use the bathroom and…if you're here when I get back then great. If not…I'll see you in the morning."

Neville spent a good five minutes in the bathroom, wondering whether he'd done the right thing or not. Things were complicated, that was for sure, but he was certain that this thing with Draco, whatever it was, was worth the effort. He changed into his joggers and toyed with the idea of putting on a t-shirt but he couldn't sleep that way and so stayed bare-chested.

He held his breath as he made his way back to the bedroom and couldn't help but grin when he found Draco sitting in his bed, propped up against the headboard. "Hi," Neville said with a smile.

"Hi," Draco said, his eyes going to Neville's torso. "You doing that on purpose?"

"It's how I sleep."

"You couldn't be a bit less gorgeous? Maybe even have an embarrassing tattoo or something?"

Neville laughed and sidled into bed beside Draco, maintaining a little distance between them. Draco looked sideways at him, back rigid, and said, "Now what?"

Neville gently slid his arm around Draco's shoulders and tucked the man carefully to his side. "Is this ok?" he asked, and Draco nodded.

They sat in silence, Neville running a hand up and down Draco's arm while Draco slowly nestled in closer and closer with each passing minute. The tension slowly started to leave his body and Neville smiled as things began to feel more natural. They snuggled down eventually into a lying position, Neville on his back with Draco lying cuddled into him.

"This is nice," Draco whispered, his voice muffled slightly.

"It is," Neville agreed. "Sex might come, it might not, but it would kill me if we couldn't have this."

"I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Neville."

"Well that's good. Less chance of someone coming along and stealing you away from me. I'm kind of fond of you."

There was silence for a moment, their quietly mingled breathing the only sound in the room. Eventually, Draco nestled in tighter and said softly, "I'm kind of fond of you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The interview went really well! I find out tomorrow if I got the job :) I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"If you want a job doing right, do it your bloody self," Neville muttered, sorting through his research files and realising that someone had been messing with his meticulous system.

Of course, it was only meticulous to him. By other people's standards the reams of research notes were a total mess and made sense only to him. Still, it was _his_ research and he didn't need it being messed with. He was progressing well, filing system notwithstanding, and was getting ready to publish his preliminary findings.

He heard a shout of laughter and moved over to the window. He was in the research lab in the main house, which afforded a good view of the sprawling gardens below. He looked out and saw Draco and Teddy firing water pistols at one another Teddy looking very much as though he had the advantage.

Neville grinned as he watched them. Draco's bond with Teddy was growing stronger and stronger, and Neville was still slightly amazed at how good Draco was with him. He had volunteered to help Harry and George with childcare and now picked Teddy up from school a couple of days a week and looked after him. Neville wasn't sure who enjoyed themselves more.

He watched as Teddy cornered Draco and the man fell to his knees dramatically and held his hands up in surrender. Teddy took no mercy on him and instead soaked him from head to foot, Draco falling backwards with a cry of anguish. Neville laughed and decided to go down and rescue him.

"I thought you were going to go easy on him," he said, creeping up on Teddy and grabbing him around the waist, lifting him off the floor.

Teddy shrieked with laughter and Draco used the opportunity to soak them both with water. "You rotten cheat," Neville laughed. "I was coming down to rescue you!"

"I can save myself, Mr Longbottom," Draco said with a wicked grin, aiming his pistol at them both again.

Neville held Teddy in front of himself as a shield and said, "Take him! He's the real villain."

"Traitor," Teddy giggled.

"Alright gentlemen, I propose a truce," Draco said, throwing his pistol aside.

"Get him, Teddy!" Neville instructed, and Teddy emptied the rest of his pistol directly into Draco's face amidst cries of protest. Neville laughed until his sides hurt and Teddy and Draco fell to playfighting on the ground. Eventually he had to put a stop to proceedings and pulled them off one another.

"Look at the state of you," he said to them both. "Let's clean you up."

"No, no. Let me," Draco said, taking out his wand and performing a few cleaning and drying spells, looking pleased with himself as he did so.

"That wand working out alright for you?" Neville asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Draco said with an answering smile, looking down at the wand. "It responds really well to me. It's been so long since I've been able to use magic…it's nice to have it back again."

"I know my father would be happy to think it's being put to good use."

"You're a generous man, Neville, and I'm sure your father was too."

They strolled back to the cottage, Teddy between them, grilling Neville about his research. The boy had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge for all things pertaining to nature and Neville enjoyed being part of his education. He had a sharp mind and soaked information up like a sponge; Harry and George had learnt pretty quickly that they had to be careful what they said around him.

The two men were joining Neville and Draco for dinner after Harry's shift ended at the hospital so Draco and Teddy amused themselves with Exploding Snap while Neville cooked. The weight seemed to lift from Draco's shoulders when he was with Teddy and Teddy, in turn, was utterly smitten with his older cousin.

He followed Draco everywhere and had no respect for his personal space at all. He lolloped all over the man at any given opportunity and cuddled up to him whenever he could. Draco didn't seem remotely put out by these demonstrative shows, indeed he rather seemed to revel in them. He was so gentle with Teddy and was more at his ease with the boy than with anyone.

Harry and George arrived, Harry still in his dark green healer's robes, the colour indicating his seniority in the profession. His bump was tiny and compact, even at nearly six months along, but George's hand seemed to constantly find its way to rest on it. He was over the moon to be a father and seemed more in love with Harry than he'd ever been. Neville tried to be sickened by them both but instead just found himself fond.

They settled in the seldom-used dining room, as they wouldn't all fit around the kitchen table, and Teddy plonked himself firmly next to Draco. He even conceded to eating broccoli, which he hated with a passion, because Draco said it was his favourite vegetable. Harry asked Draco if he'd consider going to live with them instead.

"When are you going on paternity leave?" Neville asked Harry as George helped himself to a second helping of dinner. Where he put it all Neville never knew; the man was as slim as he had been as a teenager.

"Well, I'm not due until the beginning of August so probably mid-July."

"And you're still convinced it's a girl?" Draco asked with a smile.

"These two are," Harry said, nodding at George and Teddy. "I haven't the energy to argue with them."

"What about names?" Neville asked, smiling as he watched Teddy shift his chair closer to Draco's.

"I like Imogen or Elodie," Harry said.

"And I like Niamh," George interjected.

"No boy names then?" Neville asked with a laugh.

"Not for our daughter, no," George said with a grin.

"How's the job in the pub going?" Harry asked Draco and the man gave him a pleased smile.

"Really well," he answered. "Sid's great and the locals are all very friendly. It's a nice crowd in there. Between that and my shifts in the village shop I actually have a little money in my pocket now. It's nice."

Neville couldn't help but reach for the man's hand and was pleased when Draco didn't pull away. He knew both Harry and George were looking at them with raised eyebrows but Draco just laced their fingers together with a smile. Teddy grinned and said smugly, "Knew it," before Harry cleared his throat and enquired if Draco had decided which academic course he would be taking.

Still keeping their hands entwined, Draco looked up and said, "I think I've decided on Psychology."

He outlined his plan to achieve his undergraduate degree followed by a post-graduate course to gain his PhD to become a clinical psychologist. Neville couldn't help but feel pride as he listened to Draco speak and he was so happy to think that Draco was now on a path that would bring him happiness and security. He tightened his hold on Draco's fingers and the man smiled so brightly at him it made his stomach flutter.

"Annie's letting me use her computer for all the online stuff and Luna said she'll help me with registration and all the things I'll need to pass as a muggle. All being well I'll start in September."

"That's amazing, Draco," Harry said with a sincere smile. "It's great you've found something you're so passionate about."

They migrated to the sitting room, Draco serving them coffee while Harry sipped on herbal tea and Teddy ate an ungodly amount of ice cream. Harry and Draco fell to quiet conversation, sitting close to one another on the sofa, while Neville and George set up a game of chess in the little alcove in the window.

Neville looked across at Harry and Draco as he played, intrigued by the closeness they seemed to be building. As he became older and more secure, Harry had become increasingly gentle in his nature, something that grew stronger over the years he spent being father to Teddy. That gentleness seemed to be exactly what Draco needed and he responded to it like someone who had had precious little kindness in his life.

"Kind of cute together, aren't they?" George said, following Neville's line of sight over his shoulder and watching the two men together.

"They are," Neville agreed with a laugh. "They seem genuinely fond of one another."

"I think they are," George said, turning around and contemplating the chessboard. "Harry…he feels a lot of guilt about the way things were between them at school. He thinks he should have done more to help…after the war."

"And he thinks he doesn't have a hero complex."

"I know right?" George said with a snort. "Still, guilt's always a powerful motivator where Harry's concerned but I think he genuinely cares for Draco. They're very similar in lots of ways."

George made a move that put Neville in check then looked up and said, "Are we going to talk about the fact that you guys are…whatever you are?"

Neville smiled at George's directness and said, "We're taking things slowly, seeing what develops. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have feelings for him though."

He waited for a judgemental look or sceptical comment but none was forthcoming. He should have known better; George very rarely passed judgement on people when it came to life choices and held a very 'live and let live' attitude where most things were concerned.

"Well," he said, surveying the chess pieces, "I've known you a long time and I've never seen you look at anyone the way you look at him." Neville blinked in surprise and George looked up and said with a grin, "Oh and checkmate by the way."

Teddy began yawning, despite insisting that he wasn't tired, and Harry and George took him home around nine. He protested most vehemently but was appeased by the promise of Draco picking him up from school on Monday and taking him bowling.

"You and Harry seemed to be having a good chat," Neville said as they tidied up the living room.

Draco's smile was a self-deprecating one. He perched on the arm of the sofa and said, "You know…I always wanted to be his friend. I went about it the wrong way of course, the only way I'd ever been taught, but it didn't change the fact that I wanted to be part of that little team. Now we're older…now so much has happened…I'm grateful for his friendship."

"He's a good man. I've been very thankful to have him as a friend."

"He's um…he's convinces me to see a mind healer," Draco said, brushing his hands over his thighs.

"That's a really positive step," Neville said with an encouraging smile and Draco nodded.

"I have an appointment next week. I'm kind of terrified."

Neville placed the tray he was holding on the coffee table and moved to stand in front of Draco, positioning himself between the man's legs. He reached out and ran a hand gently through Draco's hair, letting his hand move down to cup his jaw.

"It's a frightening thing, no doubt about it, but I really believe it's a necessary step for you."

Draco reached up and ran his hands along Neville's arms, tilting his face upwards and looking at Neville with an expression that did very strange things to Neville's insides. He moved a hand into Draco's impossibly soft hair and leant down until their lips met in a light, almost teasing kiss.

He would never tire of kissing Draco, of that he was certain, and with each kiss he seemed to lose himself more and more. No other partner had ever elicited such a reaction from him with such a simple thing and he'd never felt closer to anyone with such a chaste action.

His hand twined in Draco's hair gently as their tongues met leisurely, the kiss to be enjoyed for its own sake rather than to act as a prelude to something more heated. Draco's hand had snaked over his hip to rest on his lower back, the heat of it sending little pulses of pleasure over his skin.

"I really wish we'd been doing this in 7th year rather than fighting for our lives," Neville said as they pulled apart, Draco winding his arms around Neville's waist and pulling him closer.

"It would have been a much better use of our time," Draco agreed with a smile. He leant into the touch as Neville's finger teased through his hair, saying, "Can I come and sleep with you again tonight?"

"As if you need to ask," Neville said, trying not to look too pleased with the request.

Draco had spent the night in his bed a few times since they had first taken the step to physically sleep together and Neville was surprised at just how easily he'd become accustomed to it. He had always dissuaded partners from staying in the past; he valued his space and had never particularly enjoyed sharing his bed. With Draco, as with all things, it was different.

Neither was all that comfortable sleeping tangled up together but they would spend a quiet and peaceful half an hour cuddling, sharing a kiss or two, before they parted to sleep. It was insanely blissful having Draco in his arms, holding the man gently to his bare chest as the man's long fingers traced patterns over his skin.

As much as Neville wanted to acquaint Draco with intimacy that wasn't connected to sex, it felt as though he was also teaching himself in the process. His relationships in the past had all been brief and hadn't lasted long enough for him to let his guard down and be vulnerable enough to admit that he craved intimacy.

He knew Draco felt that the lack of sex between them was an issue and, while Neville wasn't going to lie and say he _didn't_ want to make love to the man, he appreciated that it gave them an opportunity to build closeness. They were building trust and learning each other's bodies in a way that was separate from sex and Neville found it more important than simply sleeping together.

They lay together later that night, the room bathed in soft candlelight, Draco pillowed against Neville's chest. Neville ran his fingers through the man's hair as Draco breath tickled his ribs pleasantly. "I think Teddy might run away from home to come and live with you," he said and Draco chuckled softly.

"I'm a little in love with him, I have to admit," he said, snuggling into Neville's chest. "He's a great kid."

"And he's smitten with you. He's become your shadow over the last couple of months."

"It's the price one has to pay for being devastatingly cool," Draco said with a dramatic sigh and Neville grinned.

Draco was so enamoured by his young cousin that he had even attended the boy's birthday party a few weeks prior. Crowds still posed a problem for him, especially those made up of his former classmates, but he was willing to put that aside for Teddy's sake. Of course, he realised that people weren't against him, that they held no hostility towards him, but his past was a source of great shame and embarrassment for him and it wasn't easy to put something like that behind you.

"It's nice to…to still have family," Draco said quietly. "I guess I feel a connection to him."

"I can understand that," Neville said, continuing to stroke Draco's hair. "I felt adrift for a while after Gran died. The fact that my mum's still with us, even…the way she is, it was a comfort."

"Do you see her often?"

"Not as often as I should," Neville said with a sigh. "It's…difficult and awkward. I've run out of things to say…of ways to try and communicate. I know it makes me a bad son."

"No it doesn't," Draco argued gently. He tilted his head to look up at Neville and said, "You're dealing with it as best you can, you have nothing to reproach yourself for."

Neville smiled and pressed a kiss to Draco's forehead. "When I next visit, will you come with me?" he asked tentatively.

Draco paused then said softly, "I'd be honoured."

May trundled along peacefully and Neville could hardly believe that it had been nearly five months since Draco had come to live with him. He was healing, both mentally and physically, and didn't resemble much of the emaciated waif that Neville had found in Knockturn back in January.

He had demons, more than most, and it would take him a lifetime to overcome them but Neville truly believed he wanted to. He attended twice-weekly session with his mind healer and, so far, he hadn't spoken to Neville about those sessions. Neville understood and didn't press the issue; Draco would talk to him if and when he was ready, the important thing was that he was seeking help.

He worked shifts in the pub and the village shop and Neville knew it made Draco proud to earn money in a legitimate way and gain some independence in the process. Dealing with people on a daily basis was also helping to grow his confidence and Neville could see that it was letting him blossom, enabling to him understand that there were better things for him on the horizon.

Neville was sitting up in bed, going through the final draft of the paper he was about to publish, wondering if anyone would get his obscure humorous references. He thought he was funny but no one else seemed to. He heard the front door go downstairs and glanced at the clock, which showed it was nearly midnight. The pub must have been busy.

There was a momentary pause then he heard Draco's footsteps on the stairs before they padded softly across the landing. Neville looked up as Draco appeared in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe with a lazy smile. He looked good in the smart black trousers and white shirt he was required to wear behind the bar and Neville allowed himself to sweep his eyes up and down the man's body.

"Anyone ever tell you you're kind of sexy as hell?" he asked, leaning back against the pillows.

Draco blushed slightly but said, "Anyone ever tell _you_ you're bloody cute with those reading glasses on?"

Neville grinned. "They do make me look like a sexy academic, don't they?"

Draco nodded with an indulgent smile and moved into the bedroom, perching on the side of the bed and leaning in to give Neville a kiss hello. "Good shift?" Neville asked.

"Busy," Draco replied, letting his fingers dance lightly over Neville's jaw, his eyes soft, his smile languid. "Sid did give me a £50 bonus for doing a good job though so I can't complain."

"Nice work," Neville said, enjoying the man's ministrations.

"I…um…I've been thinking," Draco said, watching the path his own fingers were taking.

"Sounds interesting," Neville said, wondering where this was going.

"I…I think you were right about building intimacy. Kissing, sharing your bed, it's…I don't know…making me feel so close to you and I want to…build on that."

"Ok," Neville said carefully as Draco's fingers moved to tease along his exposed collarbone. "How do you want to do that?"

Draco paused, still watching his fingers trace over Neville's skin, then said, "I don't think I'm ready for sex, not yet anyway, but I want to be closer to you…physically. Could we…I don't know…touch? I mean probably above the waist…or else that just seems like I'm teasing…but I mean…" Draco frowned as his sentence descended into bluster, uncertain what exactly he was saying.

Neville smiled and took hold of the man's hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently. "I think I understand," he said softly. "Do you trust me?"

"Without question," Draco said without hesitation.

"Then will you let me take the lead?"

Draco nodded, his expression so trusting that it nearly undid Neville. He slid his hand around the man's neck and leant forward to meet him in a gentle kiss, his lips brushing Draco's softly. He was determined to shower the man with all the gentleness and affection he'd been so starved of, to show him that anything pertaining to sex didn't need to be shameful or aggressive.

He moved his lips to lay gentle kisses along Draco's jaw then down his throat as his hands moved to carefully undo the buttons of Draco's shirt. "Is this ok?" he asked softly.

"Yes," Draco whispered in response, arching into Neville's touch.

"Just let me know if it's too much, if you need to stop," Neville said, needing to acquaint Draco with boundaries, to give the man some much-needed autonomy over his own body. "I promise we're not doing anything sexual, just getting a little more intimate."

He finished undoing the buttons and slid the shirt from Draco's body. "Lie back against the pillows," he instructed, and Draco did so, his expression so exquisitely beautiful that Neville felt his breath catch.

Neville lay beside Draco and slowly let his hand settle in the centre of Draco's chest, letting the man acclimatise himself to the feel of skin on skin. Gently, reverently, Neville allowed his fingers to roam over Draco's pale skin. He stroked over the man's ribs and stomach; he was still thin but not painfully so, and there were the beginnings of toned muscles starting to form.

Much of his torso was scarred, angry red lines criss-crossing the skin or a standout mark from something that had undoubtedly once been a hex. He wondered how much had been self-inflicted and what had been endured at other people's hands. It hurt to think of the pain Draco had suffered, the inhuman ways in which he'd been treated, and Neville wanted nothing more than to banish all those dark memories, to soothe them away with love and affection.

His touch was light, searching. Draco arched into each delicate press of fingers, increasing the contact each time, Neville smiling as the man emitted soft little moans while his back bowed. He trailed his hands down Draco's arms, let his fingers twine with Draco's long, thin ones and watched as pale hair stood on end and goosebumps followed.

"Ok?" he whispered into Draco's ear as he pressed gentle kisses to the man's throat.

"God yes," Draco whispered emphatically.

"Turn over," Neville said, and Draco complied without question, pillowing his head on his arms.

Neville performed the same gentle exploration on the man's back as he had done on his front, letting his fingers dance over skin that was scarred but no less lovely for it. He pressed gentle kisses to Draco's spine as his hands roved just above the line of Draco's trousers. Draco's breath came in stuttered sighs and Neville began to lightly massage the muscles beneath his hands.

It was lovely to be able to touch someone so intimately, to connect with another person so completely without needing to bring sex into the equation. Having Draco's trust, being able to practically _feel_ it, was like possessing a rare and precious gift. He wanted to prove himself worthy of it, to prove to Draco that he had been right to place his trust in him.

He etched every inch of Draco's skin onto his mind, catalogued the places that were most sensitive, the places Draco pressed into Neville's hand, seeking as much contact as possible. "Was this what you had in mind, love?" he murmured softly as he teased the shell of Draco's ear.

This is so much better than anything I could have imagined," Draco replied breathlessly. "But I should…I should be reciprocating."

"Next time," Neville said with a smile. "This is all about you."

Draco turned around beneath Neville, their chests pressing together, his eyes shining brightly. "I'm not sure what I did to deserve you," he said in a whisper. He reached up and cupped Neville's cheek, stroking his thumb over his cheekbone. "But I don't want to let you go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Neville promised, and Draco leant up to meet him in a kiss that took his breath away. Indeed, he had no intention whatsoever of going anywhere, he'd be there as long as Draco let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for not doing any review replies for the last chapter, I didn't get the job (which really pissed me off tbh) and my health took a bit of a dive so it's been a bit of a rotten week. Add to it the fact that the UK's gone back into lockdown again...well, things are a bit rubbish.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Sunlight pooled in the bedroom and Neville smiled contentedly as Draco stretched and pressed his back against Neville's chest. It was Sunday morning and they were both lying in bed, Draco reading the newspaper and Neville reading one of the journals he occasionally guest-edited. It was a thoroughly pleasant way to spend a morning and Neville couldn't deny that he was more focused on the man in his arms than his reading material.

They were both naked from the waist up, Draco's skin pressed against his own. Neville's hand moved over Draco's chest and teased up and down his neck in a gentle caress, Draco arching into each touch like a cat. "I've read the same paragraph ten times," Draco said with a smile as Neville tilted his head to nuzzle Draco's temple.

"Am I distracting you?" Neville asked as his hand moved over Draco's ribs.

"You know full well you are," Draco said, turning his head to look up at Neville. "God you're so cute with those reading glasses on." He reached up and plucked them off Neville's face, placing them on his nose. "How do I look? Sexy librarian?"

"Very sexy," Neville murmured, leaning down for a kiss, cupping Draco's jaw as he did so. his hand travelled down the man's throat, his fingers brushing over Draco's collarbone then back up to twine through Draco's hair. Draco moaned softly and Neville was flooded with a sense of gentle yet powerful attraction.

"God," Draco said as he pulled back, his eyes a little hazy, "every time you touch me it's…"

"It's what?" Neville asked, letting his hand slide gently down Draco's back.

"It's perfect," Draco whispered. He took Neville's glasses off and placed them on the table then slid his arms around Neville's neck, pressing their chest together. "I never thought I'd be able to feel…arousal," he confessed quietly, his cheeks flushing, "but when you touch me…it's like nothing I've ever felt before."

"It's alright if you feel overwhelmed by it, it's a lot to process."

"I _am_ overwhelmed," Draco admitted, "but I'm also hopeful." He reached up gently and ran his fingers over Neville's cheekbones then his jaw. "I'm hopeful that soon I'll be able to do more than just kiss."

"You know I don't expect – "

"I know," Draco said, pressing his fingers to Neville's lips with a smile. "But I want to, I want to be able to…be with you that way, to be that close to you."

"You _are_ close to me."

Draco moved his fingers up to rake gently through Neville's hair. "Closer still," he said softly. "I want you, I want to know what it's like…how it feels to…be with you that way."

"Whenever you're ready, I'll be here. "But," Neville added, holding Draco gently, "if that never happens, if you never feel ready, I won't be going anywhere."

Draco turned his body and lay back against the pillows, taking Neville with him, their bodies pressed together as they met in a kiss that had Neville's head swimming. Maybe they would have sex one day, maybe they wouldn't, it didn't matter as long as they could continue to build on the intimacy they had already created.

They eventually left the bedroom, although Draco was insistent that one day soon they would spend the whole day in bed, complete with feeding once another erotic foods. " _I knew I should never have let you watch 9 ½ Weeks_ ," Neville had muttered, but was intrigued by the notion nevertheless.

"You um…you don't have work today, do you?" Neville asked as they sat in the kitchen and ate lunch.

"I'm a free man until my shift in the pub tomorrow evening. Why?"

"Well…" Neville began awkwardly, feeling nervous about what he was about to ask. "I was thinking of visiting my mum this afternoon. I wondered if you'd come with me."

He directed the question to his sandwich, not sure he could look up and meet Draco's eyes. He saw the man's hand reach for his own and he raised his head as Draco smiled at him.

"Of course I will. I'm touched you'd ask."

They were both nervous when they apparated to the hospital. Neville had never taken anyone with him before, not even Harry, who he trusted more than most. He didn't know what to expect and he was apprehensive about opening up this facet of his life to someone but he felt that he could trust Draco enough to make himself vulnerable.

Draco, in turn, was always nervous when venturing anywhere with large crowds, especially within the magical community. It meant a lot to Neville that he would put that aside in order to support him and he held the man's hand as they walked through the hospital corridors.

As a long-term resident, Neville's mother was away from the main hospital and had a small suite that consisted of a bedroom and sitting room with a private loo attached. Neville greeted the nurse who was responsible for her care and they had a brief chat about how Alice had been before Neville and Draco moved down the corridor to her room.

"Hi Mum," Neville said as they entered to find Alice sitting in an armchair by the window. She was smiling into the sunlight and turned her head to look at them as they came in. She said nothing but continued to smile and held her hand out towards Neville.

He took it and gave it a gentle squeeze, saying, "Mum, this is Draco. He's come to visit you too."

Her eyes flickered to Draco and he bowed his head, saying, "Pleasure to meet you, Mrs Longbottom."

Alice released Neville's hand and began patting her pockets with a frown, rummaging around in them until she extracted a handful of detritus. She rifled through it and picked out a button then handed it to Draco.

Embarrassed, Neville was about to apologise and try to explain but Draco simply accepted the button and said, "Thank you very much, Mrs Longbottom. This is lovely."

Alice beamed at him and Neville felt a strange surge of relief. He took a breath and he and Draco sat on the chair opposite, trying not to squash one another.

"How have you been, Mum? Fatima says you've been keeping busy."

He knew there would be no answer, there never was, and it made him feel awkward and uncomfortable. It would have been different if he actually knew her, if they had a relationship that existed prior to her illness, but she was a stranger, connected only by blood.

"Well I've been busy with work," he continued. "My latest research is going well and…the house is still full with people from the Institute." Alice smiled benignly and Neville swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Draco…Draco's come to live with me," he carried on, his own voice sounding deafening against Alice's silence.

He faltered and felt Draco's hand slip into his own. He looked at the man beside him and Draco gave him an encouraging smile before he leant forward and said, "Mrs Longbottom, would you like me to do your hair?"

Startled, Neville watched as Draco stood up and fetched a hairbrush from the dresser. He came to stand next to Alice and showed her the hairbrush with a questioning look. She smiled at him and he began to gently brush Alice's long brown hair, Neville watching him, utterly transfixed.

"Now, I was thinking maybe we could put it in a loose plait or perhaps a sleek chignon?" Draco said conversationally as he continued to brush. "Well, you can decide which you like best. In the meantime, let me tell you what your brilliant son's been up to."

Neville sat in the chair opposite, watching as Draco worked his fingers through Alice's hair and began to style it. The man spoke easily, telling Alice all about Neville's endeavours and how hard he worked. Alice looked relaxed and happy as Draco began working her hair into an intricate plait and Neville felt overwhelmed watching them.

"You wouldn't believe it, he's totally the boss and when he says jump they all ask how high. It wouldn't happen, of course, if he weren't so brilliant. He's a genius, Mrs Longbottom, honestly. I know you must be very proud of him."

Draco looked up and met Neville's eyes with a smile, and Neville felt his pulse speed up. "There's a lot to be proud of," Draco said softly. "He saved my life, you know. He rescued me from a terrible situation and got me back on my feet. He's the best man I've ever known."

Draco spoke as though he were talking about the weather but he held Neville's gaze sincerely and Neville wanted to grab the man and kiss him senseless. Draco finished with Alice's hair and brought the mirror over so she could see herself. She patted the plait delicately with a soft smile and nodded enthusiastically at Draco.

"You like it? Excellent, it looks very pretty. Shall we take a look at those nails?"

He knelt on the floor in front of Alice and removed a pen from his pocket, transfiguring it into a nail file. He took one of Alice's hands gently in his own and set about shaping her nails. He picked up the conversation again, this time telling Alice about the village and his work in the pub and the shop.

He didn't falter once, never looked uncomfortable or as though he was scrabbling for things to say. Neville was amazed and he watched as Draco showered Alice with care and attention, talking _to_ her rather than _at_ her. If he hadn't already felt it creeping up on him over the last couple of weeks, he would have said that that was the moment he fell in love with the man.

He couldn't examine those feelings, not yet at least. He knew he felt things for Draco, things he'd never felt for anyone before, but for it to be love was something he wasn't sure he was ready for.

"There now, you look lovely. I'll ask Ginny or Luna if they have any nail varnish and next time I can paint them for you."

Neville felt slightly breathless at Draco's casual declaration that there would be a next time and he cleared his throat and said, "Would you like that, Mum? Would you like Draco to come back and see you again?"

Alice smiled and showed Neville her nails then patted her hair. She reached out and stroked Draco's shoulder and Neville couldn't remember when he'd had such a happy visit. He had never imagined that bringing another person into his strange family dynamic could help but he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, one he hadn't known he'd been carrying.

They arrived back home and Neville stood in the living room, feeling a little stunned. He felt a hand settle between his shoulder blades and he turned slowly to face Draco. He expected the kiss that he moved forward for to be hard and intense, a bruising tumult of the feelings he couldn't contain, but instead it was so gentle it nearly took his breath away.

One of Draco's hands cradled his head and the other was a comforting anchor in the middle of his back. His hands settled on the man's waist as the kiss became deep and sensual, Draco's tongue sliding over his own. He felt dizzy and light-headed, swept up entirely by the man whose arms he was in.

Draco's kisses were intoxicating. Whatever the man's reservations about intimacy, he held nothing back when it came to kissing and he was the most sensuous person Neville had ever met. His fingers danced through Neville's hair and Neville's skin felt electrified at the touch. He wanted to give himself over to the man entirely.

Draco pulled back and gently rested his forehead against Neville's. "Let me take care of you, hm?" he whispered, stroking his thumb over Neville's cheek.

"I don't – "

"Ssh. Time for a little role-reversal, love," Draco murmured.

Neville let himself be led to the sofa and he was wrapped up in Draco's arms, held against the man's body tightly. Gentle fingers combed through his hair and Neville was nonplussed at this change of circumstance. He hadn't been held this way before, hadn't been comforted and looked after by someone he had feelings for. It was nice, more than nice, and he cuddled in close, nestling into Draco's chest.

"You were amazing today," he said quietly as Draco's hand trailed softly over the back of his neck.

"I enjoyed it. I'd be more than happy to go again."

"I don't know what to say. I'm…overwhelmed."

"You don't have to say anything. It was an honour to go with you." Draco continued his gentle caresses and said, "I can only imagine how hard it is for you and I'm sorry that your mother's been reduced to such circumstances. You don't have to deal with it on your own, not anymore."

Unable to say anything in response, Neville burrowed in closer and revelled in the feeling of being held. He hadn't realised how much he wanted to be taken care of until that moment and, frightening though it was, he was prepared to let Draco do just that.

* * *

"Sweetheart, I'm sure Draco's fascinated but perhaps we could leave the rest of your collection for another time?" Harry said, straightening his tie as they all sat in the living room at The Gables.

"I haven't even shown him the amphibians yet!" Teddy protested, halfway through showing Draco his collectible figurines of animals from around the world.

"I know, my darling, but we're all due at the Ministry in a bit and I know that you'll go on for hours if we let you," Harry said fondly. "Is this tie straight?" he asked, turning to face George.

"No, my love. It looks like you put it on with your feet," George said with a grin, fixing it for him. "Merlin, you're sexy in formal wear," he said sliding his hands over Harry's hips.

"You two are gross," Teddy said with a look of disgust. "Draco, can I show you the rest of it later when you come back for dinner?"

"Of course," Draco said, wrapping an arm around Teddy's shoulders as the boy scrambled all over him as he usually did. "Truth be told, I'd rather stay here with you anyway."

"It'll be fine," Neville assured him. "I know you're nervous but no one will even notice you. We'll pop into the Ministry and be done before you know it."

"Nev's right," George said, shifting to stand behind Harry, wrapping his arms around him. "And once it's done you'll be able to apply for your Psychology course and get things rolling."

Draco had an appointment with the department in the Ministry that would provide him with all the paperwork he needed to study in the muggle world. He knew it needed to be done but he was still incredibly wary about going into wizarding society, especially somewhere so busy.

"Besides," George said, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder, "I need you and Nev to escort my husband and make sure he doesn't overdo it. He has my daughter to think of."

"I'm addressing the medical board," Harry said, rolling his eyes and leaning back into George. "It'll be half an hour, tops."

"I know what you're like when you get going. Just remember your blood pressure please."

"Which one of us is the healer? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself _and_ our daughter."

"Well if you're not back by 5 I'll come and drag you out by your ear," George said, pressing a kiss to his temple.

"Yes sir," Harry said, extracting himself and turning to kiss George sloppily. "What would I do without you?"

"I truly wonder."

They said their farewells, Teddy still put out at losing his favourite person, then made their way through the floo to the Leaky Cauldron. They went with Harry while he ran a few errands then apparated to Westminster and walked to the entrance to the Ministry.

Neville kept close to Draco, an arm around his waist or the man's hand held in his. Draco kept his head up and his shoulders back but Neville knew he was terrified of being recognised, of someone launching an attack on him. If anyone did recognise him, nothing happened. They made it into the Ministry and across the atrium without incident and Neville prayed their luck would hold.

Harry left them to go to his meeting and Neville and Draco rode the elevator to the department they needed. The process itself was long and boring, involving far too much paperwork and questions that were asked on repeat. Thankfully the witch dealing with them either didn't know who Draco was or didn't care and she was nothing but professional and polite.

It took over an hour and he and Draco laughed all the way back down to the atrium about how shell-shocked with boredom they were. Neville wrapped his arm around the man's shoulders and told him he'd buy a bottle of sinfully expensive champagne when Draco sent off his application to the Open University.

Harry joined them, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of the board members and cursing them to eternity. They were complaining about the senseless bureaucracy that strangled so many endeavours when Neville felt Draco go rigid beside him. He looked and saw that the man had gone deathly pale, his jaw clenched, his eyes wide and staring fixedly ahead.

"Draco?" he ventured. "Love, what is it? What's wrong?"

He followed the man's line of sight and saw a middle-aged man standing by the fountain, reading through a file. There was nothing remarkable about him, nothing that stood out, and Neville didn't know what it was about him that had affected Draco so.

"Drake?" he tried again. "Who is that?"

"Customer," Draco said with a sharp exhale, and Neville's blood ran cold. "I…I need to leave, I need – "

"It's ok, we'll go."

"I can't…I can't do this. He can't see me, I – " Draco stammered, panic flashing in his eyes. "I need to get out of here." He broke away from Neville and ran towards the floo, disappearing in a flash of green.

"Fuck!" Neville swore. "What do we do?" he asked Harry.

"Let's go back to yours, check he hasn't gone there."

Neville tried to quell the rising sense of panic he felt, but as they returned to the cottage and found no sign of Draco, panic seemed an inevitable reaction.

"He isn't here," he told Harry, coming back downstairs from his sweep of the bedrooms.

"Ok, let's just stop to think a minute. Where would he go? Do you know any of his old haunts?"

Neville shook his head agitatedly. "He never talks about his life before. I have no idea where he'd go."

"Right," Harry said with a decisive nod, "only one thing for it; we'll have to go back to the place you found him see if they can tell us anything."

"You can't…you can't come with me, not in your condition."

"I'm pregnant, not terminal," Harry said with a glare. "And I can handle a couple of lowlifes with my eyes closed. Besides, I care about Draco too, I want to make sure he's ok."

Knowing that he had no option but to relent, and more worried about Draco than anything else, Neville apparated back to Diagon with Harry and together they walked to Knockturn. Neville found the place he had first found Draco and, ignoring the looks cast his way, thumped on the door hard.

It took a while for the door to open but, eventually, amidst curses and crashes from within, it swung open to reveal a snarling, sour-faced man. "What?" he asked with a growl.

"I want information."

"Good for you. Fuck off and get it then."

He went to close the door but Neville wedged his foot in it. "I want information about someone who used to work here. Draco Malfoy, do you know him?"

The man smiled nastily and said, "Yeah I know him. The little prick owe you money?"

Neville gritted his teeth and said, "No I just need to find him. Can you tell me where he might be? Where he used to hang out?"

"Why?" the man asked with a leer. "You…uh…an old 'friend'? Used to come around here before, hm?"

"No," Neville said, doing his best to keep his temper in check, feeling the bile rise in his throat.

"We just want to track him down," Harry said from behind Neville. "Will you help us or not?"

"Oh, I see," the man said with a slow drawl. "You both want a piece of him, eh? Well, he's very good at that, a pro at being double-teamed. He'll take it any way you can give it, he'll let you use him and abuse him any way you like as long as the price is right. So I really hope you find him gents, because he'll give you a real good time and you can fuck him all night long."

Neville's fist connected with the man's jaw and he want sprawling back into the corridor, landing with a thud. Two other men appeared but Harry had his wand on them in an instant, saying menacingly, "I really wouldn't."

"Get the fuck out of here," the man snarled from the floor, clutching his jaw.

"Come on, Nev. They aren't going to tell us anything," Harry said, giving Neville's arm a tug.

Neville let himself be pulled back down the alleyway, anger resonating through his entire body. He could have killed the vile, loathsome cretin and part of him wanted to go back and do just that. They walked back into Diagon and Harry made him stop and take a few deep breaths before he pulled him into a hug.

"It's ok, Nev. He'll be alright, I promise."

"What do we do now?" Neville asked, feeling completely lost.

Harry shook his head, looking just as uncertain as Neville felt, and said, "Maybe we should go back to yours. Wait for him to turn up."

" _If_ he turns up," Neville corrected. "Fuck, what if he – "

"No," Harry said firmly. "We're not doing 'what if' or speculating on things that might be. He's going to come home and he's going to be fine, ok?"

Neville wasn't sure if he could fully believe that but it was better than the alternative. Harry pulled him into a one-armed hug and said, "It'll be ok," before he apparated them both back to Neville's cottage.

"If it isn't terribly English, maybe we should have some tea?"

Neville managed a small laugh said, "The stereotype's there for a reason. Come on, I'll put the kettle on."

They both made their way to the kitchen and stopped dead in their tracks. Draco was sitting at the kitchen table, his arms wrapped around himself, his head bowed low. He looked up when they came in, his face pale and his eyes red. He stood up slowly and Harry moved forward to wrap him up in a hug.

"Don't ever frighten me like that again," Harry whispered as he held the man close, "or I'll set Teddy on you." He pulled back and said, "Are you ok? Do you need any treatment?"

Draco shook his head and Harry sighed, pulling him into another hug before saying, "I'll leave you two to it then. Call me if you need me."

"Thanks Harry," Neville said quietly as Harry left the kitchen, the noise of the floo sounding moments later. "Where did you go?" he asked Draco, relief starting to make him feel sick and light-headed.

Draco reached into his pocket and extracted a small bag of white powder. He threw it down on the kitchen table, his face pinched. Neville stared at it, dread setting in the pit of his stomach. He took a deep breath and said, "Did you take any of it?"

Draco paused then eventually shook his head. "No," he said quietly.

"Thank fuck," Neville said with a sigh of relief.

"I wanted to. I wanted to take it and block everything the fuck out, pretend I'd never seen that bastard again…but I couldn't undo the last six months."

Neville stepped closer and tentatively placed his hand on Draco's cheek. "I'm so sorry you had to see that guy, that you had to reminded of – "

"He didn't look like much, did he?" Draco said softly, moving to look out of the window. "Just an average, middle-aged, white-collar worker, no one would look twice at if they passed him in the street." He paused, a frown between his brows, his expression distant. "He was the most depraved, the most sadistic…I can't even bring myself to tell you what he made me do."

Neville felt sick and he tried to stop himself from imagining what foul things that bastard had subjected Draco to. In that moment he wanted to kill the man and he was glad he had no way of finding out who he was or where he lived.

"Seeing him again today…it was so terrifying. I just…froze, I went into panic mode. The only thing I could think of was getting my hands on whatever drugs I could and blocking everything the fuck out. I went to an area in the muggle world I used to live in, got my hands on the stuff and…I couldn't take it."

He turned around to face Neville, his face ashen but his expression resolved. "I realised that I didn't want to block it out, I didn't want to feel numb, I wanted to feel safe. I wanted to be in the one place with the one person who could chase those demons away, who could make me feel like I was worth more than what that man did to me."

He moved to stand in front of Neville, looking so hurt and vulnerable that Neville wanted to wrap the man up in his arms and promise him that nothing would ever hurt him again.

"I know I'm asking a lot, I know I'm putting more responsibility on your shoulders than is probably healthy in a relationship but you're…you're the first person who's made me feel that I'm worth something. For the first time in a long time I have something that I truly care about, something that's worth fighting for and that means dealing with the past rather than drugging myself into oblivion to forget it. I'm a stronger person than I was six months ago and I have you to thank for that."

"You were always strong, you just needed someone to stand with you," Neville said, reaching out and taking Draco's hands in his own. "And I'm only too happy to be the one to do that, I'm happy to be your safe place."

"More than that," Draco whispered. "You're more than a safe harbour, Neville. You're more than my road to recovery…you're the man I'm in love with."

Neville's pulse quickened and Draco looked down at the floor, his hair falling in his face. "I didn't mean to just blurt that out and I'm not expecting you to say it back…"

Neville slipped a finger beneath Draco's chin and tilted his head back up. He placed his hands on the man's cheek and leant forward to capture the man's lips in a soft and tender kiss. He moved his lips over Draco's, cradling the man's head as he held him close, pouring everything he felt into the gentle, meaningful kiss.

"If you don't realise that I'm in love with you too, then you're an idiot," Neville whispered, pulling back but continuing to hold Draco close.

"Such a pretty declaration," Draco said with a laugh. He placed his hands on Neville's chest and said, "Are you sure you want me? Baggage and all?"

"Baggage and all," Neville confirmed. "Are you sure you want _me_?"

"Ask a silly question," Draco said, pulling him back into a kiss that had his head swimming.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of an angsty one but with a hopeful end! I'm updating two chapters this week because my fortunes have suddenly turned around - the company I interviewed with liked me so much they created another job for me, so I'm now employed! It's only a temporary position but I'm thankful for anything I can get in these tumultuous times.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review and let me know.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Neville made his way into the cottage from the greenhouses and heard voices coming from the living room. He removed his muddy boots, knowing Draco would kill him if he traipsed dirt through the house, and washed his hands before he went to find out who his mystery guest was.

"Ah, I thought I heard the oldest and best looking Weasley sibling in my house," he said with a smile as he found Bill lounging on the sofa, Draco sitting in the armchair opposite.

"Alright Nev," Bill said amiably. "Hard at work?"

"Harder than some," he said with a smirk, perching on the arm of Draco's chair and leaning over to give him a chaste peck on the lips.

"Why don't I get a kiss?" Bill asked cheekily.

"I'm afraid of getting a smack from Fleur."

"Besides," Draco said, snaking an arm around Neville's waist, "I don't like sharing."

"But I'm so handsome, no one can resist me."

"You're such a dork," Neville said with a snort. "Why are you in my house?"

"Came to see my favourite Slytherin," Bill, replied, leaning back against the sofa with a grin.

Draco looked up at Neville, a tentative smile on his lips. "He thinks he's found a way to remove the Mark," he said, and Neville could see the quiet hope in the man's face.

"It's a tricky one," Bill said, "and it might take a couple of tries before we get it right but I'm confident we can do it. If you come to my colleague's office next week we can begin the preliminary work."

"I don't know how to thank you," Draco said, and Neville could see he was overwhelmed.

"No need," said Bill with a casual wave of his hand. "It'll be a source of professional pride if I can undo that bastard's handiwork."

Bill stayed for another hour and Neville took a backseat as the conversation turned to the various potions Bill often used in his curse-breaking work. Draco's talent for potions and his vast knowledge of the subject was really quite staggering and he almost sounded like Snape as he discussed them with Bill.

It was a shame he felt so strongly about not working within the wizarding world; Neville was sure he would have found great success within the potions community. Still, he wanted to pursue a career that would help people and Neville was so proud of the route the man had chosen to take. Now that he had all the necessary paperwork under his belt, there was nothing to stop him from achieving his goals.

"There's a taxi coming in an hour," Neville said with a smile after Bill disappeared through the floo. "Get your glad rags on."

"A taxi to where?" Draco asked with a bemused frown.

"I'm taking you on a date."

"A date?"

"Mm. It occurred to me that we've never actually been on a date like two normal people in their 20s might go on. It's time we did something about that."

"Stretching the bounds of credulity a tad referring to us as 'normal', aren't you?"

"Don't be insulting," Neville said with a swat to the man's backside, "or I won't buy your favourite wine."

The taxi arrived and whisked them away to Winchester, which was one of Neville's favourite places and a very romantic place in which to have a date. They strolled up the old high street arm-in-arm, the early June evening pleasantly warm with the promise of summer in the air.

He took Draco to a restaurant that was housed in one of Winchester's oldest buildings and that served food that was absolutely to die for. He wanted to spoil the man, to treat him to a night of good food and fine wine and to have a little slice of something normal.

Seeing his former customer in the Ministry had been a traumatising event for Draco. He'd had nightmares for days after and Neville had found him crying on a couple of occasions. However, Draco was determined to face it head on and had had several sessions with his mind healer and had also spoken to both Neville and Harry about how the incident had affected him.

"This place is amazing," Draco said with a smile. "I certainly hope you're paying; my meagre wages won't even cover a starter."

Neville grinned. He'd been worried that taking Draco somewhere so expensive would cause an issue, that Draco might feel embarrassed about not being able to afford such a place but the man's attitude towards money had become a lot more pragmatic.

He reached across the table and laced his fingers with Draco's. "You look insanely gorgeous tonight," he said, stroking Draco's soft skin with his thumb. The man was wearing his hair tied half back, something that never failed to set Neville's pulse racing.

"Right back at you," Draco said with a smile. "I think I might be in love with your jawline."

" _Just_ my jawline?" Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Those big brown eyes are pretty hot too," Draco replied with a smirk.

Their main course arrived and conversation flowed naturally between them. Of all the things Neville enjoyed about their relationship, the easiness between them was one of his favourites. They never struggled for conversation and any silences between them were always comfortable. He'd never enjoyed anyone's company the way he enjoyed Draco's and he'd never felt the desire to spend so much time in another person's company.

They ordered a sinfully decadent chocolate dessert to share and took turns feeding each other spoonfuls. It was silly and delightfully daft, and Neville didn't care if anyone was looking at them, not when Draco made a point to suck on the end of the spoon just like _that_.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, leaning over to meet him in a kiss, tasting chocolate on his tongue coupled with the rich velvet of the wine they'd had.

"So are you."

They took another taxi home, trying not to embarrass themselves too much by engaging in too many displays in front of the driver. They migrated to the bedroom, Neville able to think of no better end to the night than to lose himself in Draco's kisses before falling asleep beside him.

Draco arched beneath him as he kissed a trail along the man's neck as his hands travelled over the man's torso. One of Draco's hands was in his hair while the other was teasing the skin of his back, sending shivers up his spine.

Their bodies moved against one another, writhing slowly as skin connected with skin. Draco moaned softly then Neville heard his breath catch in his throat as his nails dug into the skin of his back. Neville raised his head and looked down at him, but the man didn't look troubled.

"Everything ok, love?" he asked. "Do you need to stop?"

Draco shook his head, his eyes wide. "I…I'm…I'm hard," he said with a whisper of disbelief. "I haven't been…this hasn't happened in a long time."

"Do you want to…"

"I don't want to stop," Draco said with breathy resolve, "but I don't know what – "

"Let me take care of you," Neville said softly, and Draco nodded, his cheeks flushed, making him look ridiculously attractive. "Come and sit up against me," he said, shifting to sit against the headboard while Draco settled between his legs, his back pressed against Neville's chest.

Neville let his hands roam across Draco's chest, down his sides and along his arms. He kissed a path along Draco's throat, down over his shoulders as his hands continued their delicate caresses. Draco arched and tilted into each touch and Neville revelled in the feeling of the man in his arms.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, his lips teasing the soft curve of Draco's ear. He could feel that the man was nervous and he wanted nothing more than to put him at his ease and flood him with pleasure. "Do you know what a privilege it is to touch you like this?"

Draco pressed himself against Neville's torso and Neville ran his hands lower, over the man's taut stomach and softly over the waistband of his trousers. He let his hand rove over the tented crotch of material, hearing Draco's breath catch slightly. He palmed the man's erection through the fabric and Draco pressed himself up into Neville's hand.

"Are you alright to get rid of these clothes?" he murmured, and, after a brief pause, Draco nodded. "It's ok if you want to stop, just let me know at any time."

Neville reached for his wand and carefully vanished Draco's trousers and underwear, keeping his own on so he didn't overwhelm the man. The man's erection stood proudly against his pale stomach and Neville lowered his hand to gently dance up and down it. "What do you like?" he whispered.

"I…I don't really know," Draco whispered back.

"It's ok, we'll figure it out together," Neville said, stroking softly up and down the man's shaft. He kept his touch light at first, a gentle and steady caress, acclimatising Draco to such an intimacy.

He kissed Draco's neck as he let one hand trace gentle patterns over the man's torso while the other began to grip Draco more firmly. From his seated position behind the man, he could do as he usually would if he was touching himself and he applied the same kind of pressure he normally liked.

He applied some lube with a murmured charm and began stroking with slow, consistent actions. Draco let out a little hum of approval and Neville smiled against the man's skin. It was all too likely that no one had ever done this for the man, that no one had ever directed all their focus to giving him as much pleasure as possible. Neville was determined to remedy that.

He kissed every inch of the man's skin he could reach, caressing his beautiful torso with his left hand while his right moved firmly up and down Draco's shaft. Draco's breath started coming in heavy sighs and his body writhed against Neville's so sensuously Neville himself was in heaven.

It didn't take long before Draco's back arched and he was pushing himself into Neville's hand before he came hard and with a harsh gasp of air. He sagged against Neville as Neville continued to stoke him through the tremors, only releasing his hold when he was sure he'd wrung every last drop of pleasure from him.

"Holy fuck," Draco sighed breathlessly, his head falling back to rest against Neville's shoulder. "That was…I didn't think I'd ever be able…"

Neville kissed his temple and held him close as he cast a quick cleaning charm over them both. "Are you alright?"

Draco gave a soft laugh and said, "Infinitely better than alright. That was amazing." He turned his head to look up at Neville and Neville pressed a soft kiss to his lips, basking in the closeness he felt to the man at that moment.

"I think you deserve a little something in return," Draco murmured, pulling back to nuzzle along Neville's jaw.

"You don't have to do anything, love. I don't expect – "

"I know that."

Draco pushed Neville back against the pillows and swept him up in a kiss that should have been illegal it was so intense. He felt his trousers and pants vanish, and a firm hand wrapped around him as Draco's lips moved to his neck. "Long by name, long by nature, eh?" the man murmured with a wicked smile, and Neville would have rolled his eyes had Draco not been thoroughly distracting him.

"So every inch of you is gorgeous then, hm?" Draco said as he began to snake his way down over Neville's chest, kissing, licking and biting a trail to Neville's stomach. Moments later, Neville felt the man's warm, wet mouth close around him and he used every ounce of restraint he had not to thrust up into it.

He couldn't resist twining his hand through Draco's invitingly soft hair and the man began making sinful movements with his tongue. He closed his eyes as pleasure hummed through him, biting his lip as Draco's hand moved in delicious tandem with his mouth. Neville had never experienced anything like it, had never felt something so insanely pleasurable before and he had to stop himself from embarrassing himself by spilling words of love and devotion.

Draco was doing things with his tongue that shouldn't have been possible and Neville was breathing heavily as Draco increased his speed and pressure. "Sweet Merlin," he breathed as the head of his cock hit the back of Draco's throat, the muscles relaxing and taking Neville again and again. "Fuck, Drake…that's…holy hell."

Draco hummed around his prick deviously while his free hand came to palm Neville's balls. Neville gripped Draco's hair tightly and couldn't stop his hips from moving, pushing himself deeper into Draco's exquisitely talented mouth. Draco grasped him tightly a few more times and, before he could utter a warning, he came hard down the back of Draco's throat.

He went light-headed, his skin prickling as he was released from Draco's mouth. Draco moved back up the bed and tucked himself under Neville's arm, smiling broadly. He leant in and kissed Neville's jaw then his cheek while Neville tried to put himself back in his own body.

"Love you," Draco whispered as he cuddled in closer.

"Love you too," Neville replied, wondering if he'd ever be able to remove the smile from his face.

* * *

Neville held Draco's hand, watching as the man winced in pain and wishing he could help. "It's alright, love. Not long to go now," he said, glancing up at Bill. "It won't be long, right?"

"Hard to say," Bill said, watching as his colleague sat hunched over Draco's arm while Draco lay back against a makeshift operating table, his eyes closed as the woman worked her magic.

"Hang in there, mate," Bill said. "You're doing great."

Draco said nothing but gripped Neville's hand more tightly as he gritted his teeth and his breathing became more laboured. A sheen of sweat appeared on his brow and Neville held the man's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. "You're doing really well, darling."

Anita, Bill's colleague, was focused entirely on her task, her wand aimed at Draco's arm as she performed a series of complex spells that Neville couldn't begin to understand. Bill was there to jump in and lend a hand in case anything went awry, but so far he hadn't been needed and had only had to offer moral support.

Neville knew the procedure was potentially dangerous and it was clearly painful, but Draco was so determined to have the Mark removed from his skin. Bill had told him that they wouldn't be able to remove the scarring from Draco's previous attempts to cut the damn thing out of his skin, but Draco was unbothered. He just wanted the painful reminder gone, wanted the dark magic erased from his system.

He was being incredibly stoic despite the obvious pain he was in. Neville wished he could take it all away from him, hating having to watch him suffer so badly. "It'll all be worth it love. You're so brave," Neville whispered, kissing Draco's hand again.

The blinding light that had been coming from Anita's wand suddenly dimmed then disappeared and she sat back in her chair looking thoroughly exhausted. She looked down at Draco's arm then grinned broadly. "We're done, gents," she declared, and Draco's eyes shot open.

He raised his arm and Neville's eyes widened as he saw the Mark was now nothing more than a faded outline against Draco's pale skin. Draco pushed himself up on the table and ran his fingers up and down his arm, his face slack with disbelief.

"All you'll need now is a quick session with a magical cosmetologist to get rid of that outline and you'll have a perfectly unblemished arm," Anita said, looking justifiably pleased with herself.

Nobody had time to blink before Draco was up and out of his seat, wrapping Anita up in his arms and almost squeezing her eyes out. "Thank you," he whispered fiercely. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Anita wheezed, "but if you could let me breathe now I'd appreciate it."

"Oh sorry," Draco said, pulling back as a blush spread over his cheeks. "I'm just…it's so…" he said, looking down at his arm again. "I don't know how to thank you."

Anita smiled and said, "Draco, my dear, the grant money I'm about to get off the back of this will be thanks enough."

"You deserve it, and more. I don't think I'm going to be able to stop looking at my arm," Draco said with an expression that bordered on giddy. "I never thought – " His breath caught in his throat and Neville wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pressing a gentle kiss to his temple.

"Hell of a birthday present, eh?" he asked with a smile.

"Best one ever."

They insisted on taking Bill and Anita out for a drink to celebrate, which fit in nicely with Neville's plans for the rest of the day. He knew Draco didn't want a lot of fuss for his birthday but Neville was determined not to let it pass unmarked.

The man was on cloud nine as it was and was unable to keep his eyes off his arm for very long. The Mark had been a source of great shame for him, something that he had to be confronted with every day. It was another step to enable the man to reconcile himself to his past, to put it behind him. More than anymore, Neville believed Draco was entitled to a fresh start.

"Why do you keep checking your watch?" Draco asked as they arrived back at the cottage, entering through the kitchen.

"Do I?" Neville asked innocently.

"Can I hear something in the living room? Did we leave the tele on?"

"I don't know, let's check."

Neville followed behind Draco, grinning as the man made it to the living room and was met with a large cheer of 'Happy birthday!' from the assembled group.

"What's all this?" Draco asked, his eyes sweeping over Harry, George, Teddy, Ginny, Luna and a couple of people from the Institute whom Draco had become friendly with.

"Don't tell me you don't recognise a birthday party when you see one," George said with a grin.

"Just a few friends who want to help you celebrate," Neville said, placing a hand in the small of Draco's back and watching how the man's eyes lit up at the word 'friends'.

"Draco! Come and open my present first. It's so cool, wait and see," Teddy said, bouncing with excitement.

He led Draco to the sofa, the man still looking happily bemused, and showed Draco the array of presents on the coffee table. Draco looked as though all his Christmases had come at once and he couldn't contain the bright smile that made its way onto his face as he opened his gifts.

Neville watched, knowing he was smiling indulgently but not really caring. The man in front of him wasn't the same person he'd found back in January and Neville was heartened to see the changes in him. He was healthy, he was happy and Neville was falling more in love with him by the day.

"Oh Neville," Draco said as he finally opened Neville's present. "This is too much. You shouldn't – "

"You'll need them," Neville said with a smile. "If you're going to become Dr Malfoy, eminent psychologist, the least I can do is provide the books for your first year."

"You're incredible," Draco said with a smile and Neville leant over the back of the sofa to kiss him soundly, earning a loud wolf whistle from George in the process.

The party was a small but lively affair. Teddy, as usual, stayed glued to Draco's side, absolutely unwilling to leave him alone for a second. He cuddled up to Draco on the sofa for the entirety of the party and refused to be parted from him for any length of time

They all marvelled at Draco's arm, Draco displaying it proudly as he recounted what Anita had done. He mentioned nothing of the pain he had endured, indeed Neville rather thought it was already distant memory in the face of Draco's joy at finally seeing the Mark gone.

"The tendrils of your past are becoming fainter and fainter," Luna said dreamily as she ran her fingers up and down Draco's arm. "Soon they'll have no hold on you."

Draco smiled and placed his hand over hers, saying, "I certainly hope so."

"Step aside folks," George said, coming in from the kitchen bearing a large chocolate cake. "Get your chops around this, birthday boy. A Molly Weasley original."

Draco looked at the cake for a moment then up at George. "Your mother made this?" he asked quietly.

"That she did," George confirmed. "With her very best birthday wishes."

"Please thank her for me. No one's ever made me a cake before. I'm…very touched."

"Blow out the candles!" Teddy urged. "And don't forget to make a wish."

Draco looked up at Neville with a smile and said, "Can't imagine there's anything else I could wish for."

They all gathered around and tucked into the cake, Harry having seconds while asserting he was eating for two. Ginny and George decided a game of poker was in order, which Luna and Draco joined in with, the friends from the Institute heading back to the main house. Neville settled on the sofa with Harry while Teddy attached himself to Draco and asked him to teach him the rules of poker.

"I can't believe you're seven months along," Neville said as Harry helped himself to a third slice of cake.

"Crazy, isn't it? I just can't wait to meet her now. I just hope we remember all the things we did when Teddy was a baby, all the things to make our lives easier."

"It'll all come flooding back. You and George are great parents."

"It all feels pretty surreal. It seems like only yesterday I was moving in with George and we were just fooling around. Now – "

"Now here you are married to him, raising Teddy with a baby on the way. Life's a funny thing, eh?"

"As if I have to tell you that," Harry said, looking over to the table where Draco sat with Teddy on his knee, grinning smugly as he won his hand.

"A funny thing indeed," Neville said softly. "I wouldn't have believed I'd ever find myself in love with Draco Malfoy, but here we are."

"Best not to question these things, you'll only give yourself a headache."

Neville laughed and said, "Wise words. It wouldn't do to become too philosophical after all, not when I'm on my way to being a romantic sap, anyway."

"We might as well face it, Nev, there's just no hope for us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your lovely comments about my new job, you guys are just the loveliest. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Remind me why we're the ones who've been stuck with this?" Neville asked as he wiped paint off the skirting board.

"Because George is hopeless at decorating and Harry's playing the pregnancy card…again," Draco replied, stepping back to check his handiwork.

They were decorating the nursery at Harry and George's, having been roped into doing so by the hapless couple. It was for the best; all of George's previous attempts at decorating had always ended in disaster, so much so that Harry had banned him from ever doing so in the future. Harry himself was normally a dab hand but his blood pressure had been rather high and so George had insisted on bed rest.

"I think we're doing a bang-up job," Draco said. "I had no idea I was so good with a paintbrush."

"Painting and decorating not part of a rich kid's upbringing, eh?" Neville asked with a gentle smile. He was still careful about bringing up Draco's childhood, and he wasn't ever certain if the man was open to joking about it but he was handling the subject with kid gloves.

"Surprising, isn't it?" Draco asked, returning the smile. "It must be my creative, artistic side coming out."

Harry and George had gone for a nice, neutral palette of yellows and creams, and Harry had gone into nesting mode on overdrive. Furniture and all manner of baby paraphernalia were arriving on a daily basis and George had remarked that they'd need to buy a second house to accommodate it all.

"Luna's coming to paint a mural on the far wall tomorrow. We're just the labourers," Neville said, pleased to see that the first coat looked very smart.

" That girl, she can turn her hand to anything," Draco said with a fond smile. He looked around the room and ran his hand over the cot that had been assembled and was currently covered with a dust sheet. "Do you ever think about it?" he asked, looking up at Neville.

"Think about what?" Neville asked.

Draco looked away, his cheeks flushed. "Children," he said quietly. "Do you ever think about having any of your own?"

Neville paused. He'd never really considered it, not in any real sense. Of course, he'd never had a relationship that had lasted any significant length of time and, he was certain, he'd never been in love with anyone before. He'd never imagined a future with someone, a future that included things like marriage and children, but now he had to stop and wonder.

"I don't know," Neville said with a thoughtful frown. "I've never really…I mean…maybe."

"I think you'd make a wonderful father," Draco said, fiddling with the dust sheet.

"You think?"

"Of course. You're kind and patient and gentle; you'd be able to raise a child with love and affection. You'd be amazing."

"Well, I guess that's a conversation we'll be having in the future, hm?" he said, and Draco's eyes widened. "What?" Neville asked with a grin. "You think there's the slightest chance my future doesn't include you?"

"Well, one doesn't like to assume," Draco replied, looking as though he might skip off down the street singing at any moment.

"Assume away," Neville told him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Here you go, gents," George said, coming into the room. "Nice cold beers."

"Ta," Neville said, taking one and taking a large swig.

"Oh guys, it looks great," Harry said, appearing in the doorway.

"I thought I told you to stay in bed," George said with an admonishing look at his husband.

"I was bored," Harry said with a sigh. "Besides, I checked my blood pressure and it's fine."

"It's fine because I made you rest all day. Now, get back into bed and I'll sort out dinner for our wonderful decorators. Don't argue with me," he said, holding up a finger as Harry opened his mouth to do just that. "Dinner in an hour, gents," George told Neville and Draco, "and if you hear this one creep out of bed, hex him for me."

George placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and steered him out of the room, flatly ignoring his protests. Draco came to stand next to Neville and slipped an arm around his waist, saying, "Reckon we'll end up like those two?"

"Maybe," Neville said with a smile. "If we're very lucky."

They finished painting and stayed for dinner, Teddy, as usual, fixing himself to Draco's side for the entire evening. Charlie was due to make a visit in the next couple of weeks and Teddy was buzzing with excitement. He thought Charlie was the coolest person he'd ever known and he'd made his plans to apprentice with the man after school very clear.

"And then after that I want to study at The Centre for Natural Magic although I haven't decided what course I want to do," he said licking ice cream from his fingers.

"You do surprise me," George said wryly. "I thought you had that picked out from birth."

Teddy stuck his tongue out at him and said, "You'll have to be nice to me when I'm a famous naturalist and I get to choose what old people's home to stick you in."

"God I love this kid," said Neville with a laugh.

"Have him then."

"In a heartbeat," Draco said, leaning over in his chair and throwing an arm around Teddy, who cuddled in close with a smile.

"Love? Is something wrong?" George asked Harry, and Neville looked across the table to see that Harry had gone very pale and was taking long, deep breaths.

"I don't know," Harry said, his hand on his bump.

"Dad?" Teddy said uncertainly.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Harry said with a strained smile. "Nothing to worry about."

"I think we should take you to hospital," George said with a hand on Harry's back, looking more concerned by the moment.

"I think that would be wise. I'm fairly certain I've just gone into labour," Harry replied, looking shell-shocked.

"No," George said, getting of his seat, looking panicked. "It's too early. You're not eight months until next week."

"I know, but it's happening. It's alright," Harry said, reaching up and taking George's hand, "babies are born this early all the time and they do just fine. She's going to be ok."

Neville watched as George helped Harry to his feet, pulling him close and holding him tightly. He whispered something that only Harry could hear then kissed him so tenderly that Neville felt a lump form in his throat.

"Nev, will you and Drake take Teddy to yours?" Harry asked.

"Of course. We'll take good care of him."

"Come here, sweetheart," Harry said to Teddy, and the boy hopped out of his seat to be swept up in a hug by his parents. "You go with Drake and Uncle Nev and when we next see you you'll be a big brother."

"Are you going to be ok, Dad?" Teddy asked, clearly worried.

"I'm going to be just fine, darling."

"I'll look after him, love. I promise," George said, pressing a kiss to Teddy's head. "You be good for your uncles and we'll see you as soon as we can."

Draco cuddled Teddy to his side while Neville helped George take Harry to the floo. He watched as both men disappeared through the flames and sent up a silent prayer to whoever was listening to protect Harry and the baby.

He sent Draco upstairs with Teddy to pack an overnight bag while he cleared up the dinner plates and what little mess was left in the kitchen. Teddy was clearly shaken and Neville was determined to make the night as fun as possible for him to try and take his mind off things.

"Dad's going to be ok, isn't he?" Teddy asked as they arrived back at the cottage, his voice oddly small.

"Of course he is, sweetheart," Neville said. "You know your dad – tough as old boots. Besides, your pa won't let anything happen to him, you know that."

Teddy nodded but his concern was still apparent. "Hey," said Draco, running a hand through Teddy's sandy hair, "why don't we build a fort down here? We can watch a film and sleep down here if you like."

"Can we?" Teddy asked Neville, looking a little brighter.

"Drake's the boss," said Neville with a smile.

They got pillows and blankets from the linen cupboard and set up camp in the living room. They used a couple of dining chairs, along with a few strategic spells, and constructed a very respectable fort. They lined the floor with pillows and Draco charmed the inside with strings of fairy lights that twinkled cheerfully.

"This is awesome," Teddy declared, lying on his front as Neville set up Pirates of the Caribbean on the DVD player.

"Not a bad endeavour, if I say so myself," Neville said with a smile.

"We should go into business," Draco added. "We'd make a fortune."

Teddy was soon captivated by the swashbuckling adventure, even though he'd seen it well over twenty times. He sat between Neville and Draco tore his eyes away from the TV only to ask questions about pirates and to ruminate on how he himself would make a good one.

As the night drew on, Neville looked over to see that Teddy had wormed himself to lie with his head in Draco's lap. Draco was raking his fingers through the boy's hair, which had reverted to turquoise, a soft, content expression on his face. Neville wondered if it was the familial bond between them that made them so close or if something in them just spoke to one another, but Draco had fallen head over heels in love with his young cousin.

"I think you'll make a good father too," Neville said softly, and Draco looked up in surprise, as though he'd forgotten anyone else was there.

He gave Neville a charmingly shy smile and said, "I'd like children. I'd like to give them the chance to have everything I never had, to feel safe and loved. When I'm with Teddy…I can just…picture him as my own. I know it's stupid."

"It isn't stupid at all. He adores you and you're so gentle with him. I love watching the two of you together."

Draco smiled and looked down at the little boy, smoothing his hair off his forehead. "One day perhaps I'll be a father."

"We'll have to muddle through it together," Neville said and Draco looked up at him with eyes full of hope. They had a future together, Neville was certain of it, and he was going to hold onto it with both hands.

They eventually all snuggled down and went to sleep in the fort, Teddy wedged between them, exhausted from the day's events. Neville slept surprisingly well in the charming little fort, despite Teddy's occasional wriggling, but he was still perfectly aware when the fire roared to life and he heard George calling his name.

He scrambled out of the fort, Teddy and Draco continuing to sleep undisturbed. He knelt by the fire and was flooded with relief when he saw George grinning through the flames.

"It's a girl! She's so tiny, 4 lbs exactly and absolutely perfect. Harry's resting but he's top notch, both of them have been given a clean bill of health and we should be allowed to go home in the morning. Oh Nev, she's incredible. I can't stop looking at her."

"I'm so pleased, George," Neville said with a smile. "You had us all worried."

"Is Teddy ok?"

"He's fine. We've built a fort and now he's fast asleep. He was worried but I think we managed to distract him."

"Thanks Nev, don't know what we'd do without you."

"Go and get some rest and leave your daughter to sleep!"

"My daughter," George repeated with wide-eyed wonder. He was on cloud nine and Neville doubted very much whether the man would be able to calm down long enough to get any sleep.

They arranged for Neville and Draco to bring Teddy over late the following morning and Neville went back to bed, deciding to leave Teddy sleeping and tell him the news in the morning.

Of course, the moment Teddy learnt he had a sister he was desperate to get home. Neville and Draco had to appease him with a big cooked breakfast followed by a stint in the greenhouses. By the time they took him home he was practically vibrating with excitement.

"There's my boy!" George said, wrapping him up in huge hug as he stepped through fireplace. "We missed you so so much. Now, come and meet someone special."

Neville watched, his arm around Draco's waist, as George led Teddy to the sofa where Harry was sitting with a tiny bundle in his arms. He looked tired but he was radiating happiness and Neville watched as Teddy sat beside him, reaching out an unbelievably gentle hand to stroke his sister's cheek.

"Teddy, this is your baby sister," Harry said as George sat on his other side, smiling down at his daughter. "Nev, Drake, come over and meet her," Harry said, beckoning them over.

"What are we calling this little bundle?" Neville asked.

"Yvette," Harry said, looking up at him. "Yvie for short. Who wants a cuddle?"

"I do," said Draco, holding his arms out while Harry carefully transferred his sleeping daughter to him. "Oh my goodness," Draco said softly. "She's so beautiful."

Harry cuddled Teddy to his side and said, "She gave us a bit of a scare, that's for sure, but she's absolutely perfect." He pressed a kiss to Teddy's now bright pink hair and said, "We can only hope she's as content a baby as you were."

"No chance with all those Weasley genes," Neville said with a laugh, looking over Draco's shoulder at the sleeping bundle in the man's arms.

"Don't remind me," Harry said with a groan. "She'll be her father's daughter alright."

"Nothing wrong with that," George said with a grin. "She'll have brains and beauty."

"Are you alright, Dad?" Teddy asked. "Really alright?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart," Harry assured him. "Especially now I'm back in my own home with my best boys."

"And your best girl," Teddy added. "Can I help you look after her?"

"I'd love that. You'll be invaluable, my love."

"She's so precious," Draco said, utterly captivated as he looked down at the sleeping baby. "Hi Yvie, welcome to the world, little one. I hope you know how lucky you are. You have the best parents I could imagine and a smashing big brother."

"Not to mention two excellent godfathers," George said, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders as they both smiled up at Neville and Draco.

"Godfathers?" Draco echoed, looking stunned. "Surely you just want Neville to…I mean I'm not really…I shouldn't be – "

"We'd be honoured," Neville said, feeling as though he might burst with pride, while Draco looked too stunned to speak. The man took a deep, shuddering breath and said with a whisper,

"My goddaughter."

They stayed at George and Harry's for the rest of the day, helping to finish the nursery and doing a spot of cleaning and cooking for the new parents. Teddy was enraptured by his sister and kept hovering next to Harry to make sure the little baby was alright. He was a boisterous child but he displayed a gentleness with her that Neville would have never believed he possessed.

Neville and Draco cooked dinner while Harry and George acclimatised themselves to life with a new-born. It was lovely to watch them together, to see how they were blossoming into this next stage of their life together and Neville found himself wanting the same for his own life. With Draco now a permanent fixture, he was able to see if as a possibility for the first time.

"We'll come and see you soon," Neville said as they all exchanged hugs by the fireplace. "We don't want to impose."

"Speak for yourself," Draco said, leaning around George, who had his daughter tucked in the crook of his arm, and stroking the baby's cheek. "I'll be back as soon as possible for cuddles with my goddaughter."

"You're always welcome, you know that," Harry said, looking worn out but happy.

Draco was practically vibrating with excitement when they arrived back at the cottage and it did Neville's heart good to see him so happy. "I have a goddaughter, Neville," he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he took Neville's hands in his own.

"I can't tell if you're pleased about it or not," Neville teased.

"It's so unbelievable," Draco said, his smile wide. "I have friends, I have a cousin and a goddaughter, a future on the horizon…and I have you. Without you I wouldn't have all of this, I'd still be living in the backstreets of Knockturn slowly killing myself. You're the reason for everything good in my life."

"I just came along at the right moment. You'd have sorted yourself out, I know you would."

Draco shook his head. "No, I needed help, I needed a lifeline. You could have left me in that alleyway or asked me to leave after a week here but instead you gave me sanctuary, you helped get me well, you gave me purpose. I'm happy for the first time in years and it's all because of you."

"You're not the only one who needed saving," Neville said softly. "I didn't realise how lonely I was, how much I wanted what Harry and George have. You make me happy too."

Draco sighed happily and reached up to brush a hand through Neville's hair then reaching down to rest on Neville's cheek. "Make love to me," he whispered softly.

Neville's heartbeat sped up and he placed his hand over Draco's, saying, "Are you sure? You know I don't – "

"I'm sure," Draco said with quiet resolve. "I love you and I want to be with you."

Draco knew his own mind and Neville didn't want to insult him by insinuating that he had no autonomy in the matter. He took Draco's hand in his and pressed a kiss to the knuckles before he turned and led the man upstairs to the bedroom.

He took the man in his arms and kissed him softly as Draco's arms slipped around his neck. He could feel that the other man was nervous and he wanted to prove that he was worthy of the trust Draco had placed in him, he wanted to show him how beautiful sex could be when there was love involved.

It was new territory for Neville too. He'd never shared a bed with someone he loved, he'd never felt for anyone the way he felt for Draco and this moment between them felt like something special. He undressed Draco slowly, reverently, taking his time and making sure that the man felt nothing but safe and cherished.

He removed his own clothing and guided them both to the bed, covering Draco's body with his own as they lay down. They kissed softly, languidly, Draco's kisses never failing to set Neville's nerves on fire. Skin pressed against skin as their cocks rubbed gently together, Draco pressing himself upwards for more contact.

Neville let his hands and lips wonder all over Draco's slim torso, caressing the soft skin beneath him. He mapped out the scars that littered the man's body, worshipping each one and thanking the gods that fate had delivered this man into his hands, that he could now keep him safe and protected, determined that no new scars would join the ones of the past.

"God you're so beautiful," he whispered as Draco moaned softly with each touch. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

"No more than I love you," Draco said breathily, writhing against Neville's body and sending pulses of pleasure through him.

Neville reached for the lube from the bedside table and said, "We're going to take this slowly, ok?" Draco nodded and Neville leant forward to meet the man's lips in a slow and sensual kiss. He let his hand trail downwards, gently brushing Draco's erection, teasing him with the light dance of his fingers.

He moved downwards and began to tease Draco with his tongue. He pressed light kisses to the man's hardness then swirled his tongue around the weeping head. He kept his movements slow, revelling in the play of Draco's thigh muscles under his hands, in the soft, breathy moans above his head.

He slicked his fingers well with lube and circled Draco's entrance gently before carefully insinuating one finger. He took Draco's cock into his mouth as he worked his fingers in and out, Draco practically mewling when he added a second. By the time he added a third, Draco was pressing down on them, practically begging for more.

Neville removed his fingers then slicked himself up well before he settled between Draco's legs. "Alright love?" he asked.

"God yes," Draco groaned. "Want you inside me, want to feel you."

Neville positioned himself and pressed forward carefully, taking his time and letting Draco's body accommodate him. Draco was tight and gloriously hot around him and Neville thrust slowly and deeply, allowing himself to lose himself in the gorgeous body beneath him.

He met Draco's lips as the man's legs wound around his waist, sending him deeper still, his hips shifting to an angle that had Draco moaning against his mouth. It was amazing, breath-taking, and Neville's skin tingled as pleasure and emotion mingled inside him to fill him with heady intoxication. He felt closer to Draco than ever before and he wanted to keep the man in his bed forever.

"Oh yes, Neville," Draco breathed. "Fuck yes."

"Yes feel amazing," Neville moaned. Thrust after thrust built the pleasure more and more. Draco's moans were the sexiest things Neville had ever heard in his life and he wanted to spend the rest of his life being the one responsible for them.

Feeling Draco writhe against him was incredible and he reached a hand down to wrap around the man's straining erection. Draco bit his lip and looked up at him with hazy eyes, sending yet another shock of pleasure through Neville. He pumped the man's gorgeous prick in time with his thrusts, Draco arching into his hand as he clenched his muscles around him.

"Oh Drake," Neville whispered, and Draco came with a gasp of pleasure, spilling himself all over Neville's hand. Neville began to thrust hard into the man's sated body and finally found his own release moments later. He collapsed on top of Draco, his breathing ragged as his body trembled with his release.

Mindful of crushing the man beneath him, he carefully pulled out with a cleaning charm and rolled to the side. He pulled Draco close and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Are you ok?"

Draco gave a breathless laugh and said, "I can't begin to tell you how ok I am. That was incredible."

Draco snuggled into his side and soon, with the emotion of the past 24 hours coupled with the utter satiation he felt, he was drifting into a pleasant sleep. When he woke in the small hours, he was alone. He gave it a few moments to be sure Draco wasn't in the bathroom, then decided he needed to find the man.

He threw on his jogging bottoms and went in search of him, finding him curled up in the armchair in the sitting room. His worry melted away when the man greeted him with a warm smile and said, "I couldn't sleep, didn't want to wake you."

"Is everything ok?" Neville asked, perching on the arm and rubbing Draco's upper back.

"Better than ok. My mind was just going a mile a minute." He reached for Neville's hand and laced their fingers together. "That was the first time I've ever been…present during sex. I was there in my own body for all of it and it was…oh Neville, it was so beautiful. I had no idea sex could be like that."

Neville gave him a sad smile and Draco continued, "I've only ever known it to be aggressive and shameful, but that…there was nothing shameful about that. It's like a whole new world's opened up to me, like I can finally see things for how they should be."

Neville used his free hand to rake through Draco's soft hair and said, "I've never suffered the awful things that you've been through but I can tell you that I've never had an experience like that before. I've never felt so close to someone, so completely that…that I belonged to them."

Draco smiled, tears in his eyes, as he said, "I love you. I'm yours for as long as you'll have me."

"A bloody long time then," Neville said, leaning down to meet the man in a kiss that felt like an affirmation of something, something Neville desperately wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favourite chapter to date :) I hope you all enjoyed it, please leave a review and let me know!
> 
> Keep a lookout for my new Snarry oneshot too. It's a light-hearted little bit of nonsense that I hope will give you all a giggle.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"This is happiness, hm?" Draco said softly, and Neville looked up from his book to see Draco coming into the bedroom. He hadn't heard the front door and hadn't realised it was nearly midnight.

"Feeling philosophical, love?" Neville asked with a smile, laying his book aside.

"Very," Draco said, shucking out of his shirt and joining Neville on the bed. He leant over and wrapped his arms around Neville's neck and insinuated himself into his lap.

"Good day?" Neville asked, settling his hands on Draco's back and holding him gently.

"Brilliant day."

Neville hadn't seen the man since they had parted after breakfast. He had gone to work his shift in the shop then had gone straight to Harry's where he'd been helping to look after Teddy and Yvie. It was the summer holidays and Teddy needed occupying, which Draco did with joy, and he helped to look after the baby while Harry caught up on some much-needed sleep.

Afterwards he'd gone straight to his shift in the pub and was now only just arriving home. His days were busy and when he had a moment of inactivity he had his nose crammed in one of his psychology textbooks, trying to get a head start on the course before he began in September.

"Is Harry ok?" Neville asked, smiling at how bright Draco's eyes were.

"He's fine. Stubborn bloody git, as usual, George and I keep having to stop him from lifting things and doing too much but he only listens to us half the time."

"And how's our goddaughter?" Neville asked, laughing at Draco's dreamy expression.

"She's so beautiful, I can't stop looking at her. I can't believe it's been two weeks since she was born. She's keeping Harry and George up all night so George is determined to get her into a sleep schedule."

"Which I'm sure you ruin by waking her up every five minutes for a cuddle."

Draco grinned and nuzzled Neville's jaw. "I can't help myself, she's adorable. Teddy's smitten too, he's so protective of her and he's got this special voice he uses when he speaks to her. Harry and George as so great; they're going out of their way to make him feel involved and special."

"I'm sure he does. I'm surprised you've deigned to come home to me tonight."

"I was missing you too much," Draco said, snuggling in close. He re-arranged himself to tuck himself into Neville' side, shifting under the bedcovers and wrapping himself around Neville's torso. "Oh I heard from Anita," he said with a yawn. "She's got me an appointment with a magical cosmetologist. Soon this faded outline will be gone completely."

"That's fantastic news," Neville said, stroking the man's hair.

"It is," Draco said sleepily, in a way that Neville found utterly adorable.

"Go to sleep," he said affectionately. "I'll just finish this chapter."

"Mm, ok," Draco muttered as Neville retrieved his book.

He smiled contentedly as he felt Draco's breathing even out, cuddled against him as he drifted off. He cherished these moments and he'd never known the kind of contentment that he felt when Draco was in his arms.

It had been a couple of weeks since they'd first made love and they'd slept together once or twice since but neither was in any rush to leap into bed at any given moment. Sex between them was special, an affirmation of the closeness they shared, and Neville had no desire to change that for the sake of a few quickies.

They had spent a long time building up intimacy and trust, and those were the important things. Neville wanted to do everything he could to maintain and strengthen them and moments like this, with Draco nestled against him, were worth more to him than anything. He'd never had a wildly active sex drive and Draco was still forging a relationship with sex; things were good between them and sex was simply a nice occasional bonus.

The following day they had breakfast in bed, Draco making his fabulous eggs benedict and spoiling them with expensive coffee that Annie ordered specifically for him. Neville wanted to capture the moment forever, to put it in a pensieve and remember just how happy he was, sitting in bed with the man he loved and basking in contentment.

They took their time and read through the newspapers together then eventually Neville stretched and said, "I'm going to hop in the shower then we can be on our way."

Draco gave him one of his endearingly shy smiles and said, "Can I join you?"

"No need to ask," Neville said with a smile. He held out his hand and led Draco to the bathroom, both of them stripping off as the water warmed up. They stepped beneath it and laughed their way through washing one another, kissing beneath the spray and letting their hands make gentle explorations of each other's bodies.

It wasn't about sex, it was about closeness, and Neville kissed Draco's neck as he held him to his chest, his hands trailing up and down the man's sides. "The hot water will run out at this rate," he murmured against Draco's skin as Draco pressed back into him.

"That's what magic's for, love," Draco returned, his eyes closed as he enjoyed Neville's attentions.

"You're a terrible influence."

"You love me."

"Yes I do," Neville replied, giddy with happiness. He'd often wondered what a real relationship would feel like, if he could ever have what Harry and George had, and now it was in his hands he was determined to never let it go.

They stayed far longer than Neville's water bill would thank him for, touching and kissing, skin against skin. They finally made it out and Neville watched as Draco dried his hair and tied it half up. God but that did things to him and he gazed soppily at the man.

"Stop it," Draco said with a smile, buttoning up his shirt.

"Can't. You're just too bloody gorgeous."

"Sweet talker. Come on, we'll be late."

They arrived at St Mungo's and walked hand-in-hand to Alice's room, where they found her sitting at the table, brushing her hair. "Good morning, Alice," Draco said brightly, kissing her cheek.

"Hi Mum," Neville said, mimicking the action. "I brought your favourite visitor."

Alice patted both their hands with a bright smile as Neville took a seat while Draco took the hairbrush. "What will it be today then?" he asked. "I was thinking something 40s, like a film noir film star."

Neville smiled as he watched Draco set about doing Alice's hair, chatting to her with ease. Neville chimed in occasionally, feeling so much more comfortable with these visits now that Draco accompanied him. It was yet another thing he had to be grateful for.

"You should see Yvie, she's the most beautiful baby you've ever seen," Draco said, sectioning off Alice's hair. "I can't really tell who she looks like yet but she has Harry's eyes and George's colouring."

Draco was possibly the proudest godfather to have ever existed. He spoke about Yvie roughly 100 times a day and, despite the fact that she'd only been alive for a couple of weeks, he was convinced she was the most intelligent person ever born.

"I think she smiled at me yesterday," Draco continued, "but Harry said it was impossible. I think he's wrong though."

Draco told Alice all about the little girl's daily routine, as well as recounting stories about Teddy too. Neville knew that it was important to him to maintain the relationship he had forged with his cousin, making Teddy still feel special in the wake of Yvie's arrival.

"You have such lovely hair," Draco told Alice as he began to style it. Neville had never questioned how Draco knew how to style hair, but every time he visited Alice he did something different for her. He treated her like a princess, lavishing care and attention on her in his surprisingly quiet and gentle way.

Having Draco with him made Neville feel more comfortable about speaking to Alice and he chimed in as Draco spoke. He found it easier now to make eye contact with his mother and his heart brightened every time she smiled at him. He felt guilty for not visiting more in the past but he had always floundered each time he had. Draco acted as a conduit, he just made things easier and Neville was so grateful to him for that.

"Wow, Drake. That looks amazing," he said as he watched Draco put the finishing touches on Alice's hair.

"Vivien Leigh, eat your heart out," Draco said as he presented Alice with the mirror.

Neville never had a clue who the classic film stars were that Draco always referenced but his mother did indeed look fantastic. She was a very pretty woman with delicate features and soft, kind eyes. She would be 48 next year and yet she looked years younger, her small features giving her a rather elfin look.

"You like it?" Draco asked as Alice smiled at her reflection. She nodded and Draco beamed. "You look beautiful, if I do say so myself."

"It looks wonderful, Mum, like you've stepped off a film set."

"Now then," said Draco, reaching into the bag he'd brought, "where did we get to with _Wind in the Willows_?"

He and Neville had gone exploring in the attic of the main house and had found boxes of Frank and Alice's possessions that Neville's gran had packed away years ago. Alice's boxes had been full of books, across all genres, and Draco had brought them down to the cottage and was working his way through them with Alice.

Neville had never thought about reading to Alice, indeed he probably would have been too self-conscious to be able to do so. Draco had no such qualms. He put on voices for all the characters and read the narrative parts with such life and enjoyment that Neville found himself enjoying it as much as Alice seemed to.

"Ah of course," Draco said, finding his place, "Badger and the others have put Toad under house arrest."

Neville reached over and took Alice's hand as Draco launched into the story. He really was excellent; Toad had a delightfully foppish, posh voice, Badger was rough and grisly, Mole was squeaky and high-pitched and Ratty was the perfect English gent. It was a pleasure to listen to and they sat contentedly for an hour until Alice began to get sleepy.

"You know," said Draco as they walked arm-in-arm through the hospital corridors, "we should talk to the doctors about taking her out for the day or maybe spending the night with us."

"Really?" Neville said, taken aback.

"I don't see why not. It isn't as though she's violent or dangerous, she just needs extra care. It would be good to get her out of here once in a while, give her a change of scenery."

"Yeah…yeah I guess so."

Neville had never really considered it before; he would have been too overwhelmed to attempt it on his own but with Draco by his side perhaps they could try. He'd love to take his mother for a spot of afternoon tea or show her around the greenhouses and show off all his work. Draco was right, there was no reason why they couldn't do it and Neville began to consider the possibilities.

"Draco? Draco is that you?" came a voice as they walked past reception. Neville felt Draco tense and he placed his hand over the man's as they turned around. "My goodness, I thought it was."

"Hello Blaise," Draco said, straightening his shoulders.

"Gosh, it's been an age. And…Longbottom? My, haven't you changed?"

"Hi Blaise," Neville said, shaking the man's hand. "Good to see you."

"Blimey, it's been a long time. Drake, I thought you'd fallen off the face of the planet!"

"I um…I went away for a while," Draco said, pressing closer to Neville. "I needed to take some time out but I'm…I'm back now."

"What are you doing with yourself, Blaise?" Neville asked, wanting to deflect the attention from Draco.

"I'm working in the hospital as a research associate. I got my potions mastery a couple of years ago and specialised in healing. I head up a team here."

"Very impressive."

"You too," Blaise said with a warm smile. "I keep tabs on all your research, you've made a real name for yourself."

"I enjoy it," said Neville with a bashful shrug of his shoulders.

"And you, Draco? What have you been doing with yourself?"

Draco paused then said, "I…I've recently decided to get back into education…muggle education."

"Fantastic," said Blaise with genuine enthusiasm. "I wish you luck with it." He checked his watch and said, "I'm due back in the lab, I only popped out for a coffee. Draco, drop me an owl, it would be great to have a proper catch-up."

Draco nodded and Neville wondered if he would actually take the make up on it. "Nice to see you both," Blaise said. "Oh and you make a very cute couple by the way," he added with a wink before he disappeared down the corridor.

Neville felt Draco exhale and he said gently, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Draco said with a tentative smile. "That was…surprisingly pleasant. It's a relief to know that I can see people from the past without the world imploding."

"Blaise was always a pretty decent bloke. You should meet up with him."

"Maybe. One step at a time. Come on, let's get a takeaway. My treat."

Neville gave himself the following week off from work and he and Draco took Teddy on a couple of day trips. They spent a happy day at the beach, building sandcastles and playing in the sea, and they also took him to a nearby donkey sanctuary where he was allowed to feed and tend to the donkeys. It was a job getting him to leave and they had to promise that they would bring him back as soon as possible.

"I don't know where he gets his energy from," Neville said with a groan as he sprawled on the sofa. They had just dropped Teddy back home, making swift exits as Yvie was in the middle of a screaming fit.

"Oh to be 9 years old again," Draco said with a smile as he perched on the sofa.

Neville was, by now, an expert at reading Draco's body language and, although he could see that the man was happy after a busy day, there was something else. There was a slight hum of tension running through his body and Neville knew that something was bothering him.

"Something you want to talk about?" he asked gently.

"Hm?" Draco said, looking up from chewing his thumbnail, a habit he employed only when agitated.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Neville repeated, reaching out and taking Draco's hand.

Draco took a deep breath and placed his other hand over Neville's, rubbing the rough knuckles. "I…um…I have something I want to ask you."

"Ask away."

Draco nodded and patted Neville's hand. "I feel…I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life. I've put a lot of stuff behind me, I've got rid of that hideous Mark and I'm about to take a new path with my education. I just feel that there's something else I need to lay to rest."

Draco paused and Neville held his silence. Whatever Draco wanted to say it was obviously difficult and Neville knew he needed to give the man time and space to get it out.

"When I found my mother after she…after she hanged herself, I cut her down and I buried her in the woods near the manor. I was…panicked and shocked, to be honest I was acting a kind of haze. I didn't really…say goodbye and I feel I need to do that to move on."

He squeezed Neville's hand and said, "I want to go back…back to her grave and say the things I never got to say. Will you come with me?"

Neville shifted closer and tucked Draco into his side, resting his chin on the blond head. "Of course I will, darling."

He couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for Draco to have to go through that at the time and how it must have played on his mind ever since. He could see why the man wanted to confront the issue, to try and find some peace and lay those ghosts to rest.

A couple of days later, on a sunny and warm Saturday, they apparated to the edge of the woods that surrounded the manor. Draco had no idea who now owned the old estate, nor was he interested, but Neville just hoped that they weren't chased out of someone's private woodland.

"Do you know where…where she is?" Neville asked gently.

Draco smiled sadly. "I know these woods like the back of my hand. I remember where I put her."

They walked for about fifteen minutes, Draco's nerves palpable, the only sound the birdsong through the trees. Neville wanted to provide more tangible support for Draco but he knew all he could do was be there, to provide comfort and strength when Draco needed it.

Draco led them to a little clearing and Neville's eyes widened as he saw the entire place was covered in daffodils. The season had long passed for the pretty flower and the faint crackle of magic in the air told him a charm was at work.

"Narcissus," Neville murmured, and Draco smiled at him.

"It seemed fitting," he said quietly. He looked around the pretty clearing, his face pale. "Now I'm here I don't know what to say," he said in a whisper.

"Take your time."

"I'm still so angry," Draco said, shaking his head. "It's been years and I'm still as furious with her as the day I found her. She just…left me. She was my mother and she was supposed to protect me but she left me to face everything on my own. I hate her for that."

"I think you're justified in feeling that way. It was a terrible betrayal."

"If she'd stayed, if she'd seen it through, I wouldn't have ended up where I did, my life wouldn't have gone in such an epic downward spiral. I can't…I can't get past that."

"I don't think I'd be able to either, but I've heard it said that forgiveness isn't for the person being forgiven it's for the one who was wronged. Perhaps…one day you _will_ be able to get past it, but you shouldn't put any pressure on yourself to."

"I just wish I understood why she did it, why she didn't love me enough to stay and fight."

Neville had no response. He couldn't understand how Narcissa could have left her only child to fend for himself, how, after risking Voldemort's wrath to save him, she had abandoned him so cruelly. He knew suicide was never simple, that a suicidal person's mind could never be fully understood, but no one could blame Draco for his anger.

"Let's sit down for a bit," he said, taking a seat beneath a large beech tree. He held out his hand and Draco took it, sitting beside him and resting his head on Neville's shoulder.

The woods were peaceful, the summer sun shining gently through the canopy of trees and a soft breeze rustling the leaves occasionally. It was a beautiful spot for Narcissa's final resting place and Neville could see why Draco had chosen it. He couldn't begin to imagine what it must have been like all those years ago to find Narcissa and then to have to bury her.

"You've been through so much," Neville said quietly. "You should be proud of yourself for all the things you've overcome."

"I wouldn't have overcome anything if it hadn't been for you. I'd have sunk deeper and deeper and eventually either the drugs would have killed me or one dodgy customer too many would. I couldn't find a way out, Neville and I'd still be there now without you."

"Thank God I did find you. I hate the thought of living the rest of my life without you."

"You're planning on being saddled with me for that long?" Draco asked, a smile in his voice.

"I don't think I have a say in the matter. It's destiny."

"I never realised you were a fatalist."

"Just resigned to my fate when it comes to you," Neville said, resting his head on Draco's. I can't imagine my future without you in it."

"That works out well then. I have no intention of going anywhere."

Draco cuddled in closer and Neville held him tightly to his side, wishing he could erase all the hurt the man had ever suffered. "Can we stay for a while?" Draco asked softly.

"We can stay as long as you need. I'll be here for you."

"Of all the things in my life, that's the one thing I can rely on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry if I haven't replied to any reviews in the last week or so. I've started my new job and I'm rushed off my feet, I just don't have too much time at the moment. I appreciate every single review so much though and I promise I'll get around to replying when I have more time! Much love.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A heatwave was gripping Britain and it made working in the greenhouses unbearable. There were very delicate ecological charms in place, making cooling charms out of the question. The only concession Neville could make was stripping to the waist, but even that provided only minimal relief.

He had a number of orders to fulfil, including one for Blaise that had come in last-minute. Ordinarily he wouldn't have taken it on but the man had shown a lot of kindness to Draco in the last couple of weeks and so Neville felt obliged to do him a favour. Blaise and Draco had met a couple of times for coffee and Draco had returned each time buoyed and pleased that there was someone from his past he could still interact with.

"Bloody stubborn bugger," Neville growled as he wrestled with a particularly vicious plant that had taken umbrage to being re-potted. "Just co-operate, you cantankerous bastard."

He heard a chuckle from the doorway and he turned to see Draco lounging elegantly against the doorframe of the greenhouse. "I thought the idea was to say nice things to your plants, not insult them," he said with a smirk.

"Depends on the plant," Neville replied, wiping his brow and feeling the sweat trickling down his back. Despite the heat, Draco looked effortlessly cool in a loose linen shirt and linen trousers, giving off the air of an English gent on his way to watch the cricket.

He stepped into the greenhouse and raked a hand through his hair, which Neville watched with appreciative eyes. "I saw you working, couldn't resist a closer look," Draco said, letting his eyes travel the length of Neville's bare torso. "I suddenly got the urge to re-enact a scene or two from Lady Chatterley's Lover."

"Did you now?" Neville said with a raised eyebrow. "I would have thought in this heat something from Tennessee Williams would be more appropriate."

"My, aren't we cultured?" Draco said, coming closer. "I don't suppose you have any idea how ridiculously gorgeous you look, do you?"

"I'm a sticky, sweaty mess. I don't feel particularly gorgeous."

"Then you're an idiot," Draco said, slipping his arms around Neville's neck.

"You'll get filthy, love. I'm disgusting," Neville protested, horrified at getting his dirty hands all over Draco's pristine white clothing.

"That's what showers are for," Draco said, entirely unbothered by the mess Neville was making of him. He tilted up and met Neville in a kiss that swiftly made Neville forget any qualms about getting his boyfriend dirty.

He wrapped his arms around Draco's slender form and held him close as Draco's hands slid up into his hair. Everything became lost in a haze of hands and lips. Draco's were all over him, setting his skin on fire while his own had slipped beneath Draco's white shirt, dancing over his ribs and the play of muscles across his back.

He lost himself in the exquisiteness of the man in his arms, the heat in the greenhouse making him light-headed and dizzy. He was letting his instinct govern him completely, his and Draco's rhythms perfectly in-sync, their bodies responding to one another with familiarity and trust.

He was walking a fine line between being acutely aware of everything that was happening and being overtaken entirely in a blissful haze of pleasure. Draco kissed him with blistering intensity as Neville prepared him slowly then the man was sinking down onto him, engulfing him in tightness and heat.

Neville's hands gripped Draco's hips as the man rode him, his kisses still searing through Neville's fuzzy consciousness as the stifling heat and overwhelming pleasure made him giddy. He was lost in Draco completely, falling into him more and more with each passing second.

The air was stifling, their sweat-slicked skin pressing together amidst breathy sighs and whispered words of encouragement. Draco's breath was hot against his ear, murmuring softly as Neville's hand wrapped around his hard prick and began stroking rhythmically.

"Oh yes, love," Draco moaned softly as he moved faster, his muscles clenching around Neville. Neville's world narrowed to contain nothing but the man in his lap, riding him like there was no tomorrow.

He dimly noted Draco's gasp of pleasure before feeling liquid warmth on his hand. He thrust blindly upwards until he found his own release, collapsing back in the precarious chair they'd commandeered for their little tryst. It took them both a moment to get their breath back and Neville looked up to see Draco grinning wickedly down at him.

"Lady Chatterley enough for you?" Neville asked, sparing a look at Draco's ruined clothing lying on the floor.

"It did the trick."

"You're an exceptionally bad influence," Neville groaned.

"And here I was coming to warn you that we'd be late if we didn't get a move on."

"Late? Oh damn! The naming ceremony, we'd better get going!"

They made it back to the cottage and had a shower, which Draco insisted they do together for the sake of saving time. They dressed and applied cooling charms to stave off the heat then flooed to Harry and George's, where a small party of friends and family were already waiting.

"So sorry we're late, couldn't prize this one out of the greenhouse," Draco lied smoothly with a smirk at Neville.

"You're just in time," Harry said, handing Yvie over to Draco, who took the baby with a gleeful smile.

She was now nearly a month old and, while still delicate, had put on weight and wasn't looking so terrifyingly tiny. They had decided to have an informal naming ceremony, where Draco and Neville would be welcomed as her godfathers and Luna as her godmother.

"Such a shame Ron and Hermione couldn't make it over from Australia," Neville said as he placed an arm around Draco's waist and looked down at Yvie with a smile.

"I know," Harry said with a sigh, "but poor little Rose is so unwell, they're doing the right thing staying home."

"If you ask me, Ron's a little over the top," said George. "He has severe first baby syndrome."

"Says this one," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "I caught him at 3am the other night sitting in the nursery just staring at her in her cot."

George looked at everyone with a grin and said, "I never said I wasn't a pathetic sap. Besides, I defy anyone not to be captivated by my daughter."

"Was I a cute baby?" Teddy asked, appearing at Harry's side with a half-melted ice lolly.

"You were adorable," Harry assured him, "but if you drip that mess all over your nice clothes you won't live to see 10."

"Yes Dad," Teddy answered with a smile, slurping half of the offending treat into his mouth. "Is the stinkbomb behaving?"

"That's no way to talk about your sister," Harry admonished.

"She can get pretty whiffy," Teddy insisted. "And loud. She screamed the house down yesterday."

"What do you expect with all those Weasley genes?" Neville asked with a laugh.

"Oi, there's nothing wrong with those genes," said Ginny, appearing with an array of drinks floating behind her, filling people's glasses up as she went.

"Sweetheart, you were nearly suspended last week because you called the ref a clod-brained arsewipe and threatened to shove your broom up his backside," Oliver told his wife with affectionate exasperation. "If Yvie has a fraction of those genes we're all in trouble."

"Kid's lucky if you ask me," Ginny replied. "Weasley genes mixed with Slayer of Voldemort ones? Cracking combination."

"Sometimes I wonder what I married into," Harry muttered with an eyeroll.

They all assembled in Harry and George's beautiful garden and a dainty, well-dressed woman from the Ministry joined them under the arbour that Neville's colleague had obligingly provided. The ceremony itself was short and sweet, with a little protective magic thrown in, Luna, Neville and Draco swearing their dedication as godparents.

It was a beautiful day and they were also using the opportunity to celebrate Harry and Neville's birthdays, which were only a week away. Neville couldn't remember a happier birthday and he flitted from one conversation to another, migrating back to Draco constantly, although the man didn't need his presence to feel comfortable anymore. It made Neville happy to see Draco so at ease among so many people, and the man laughed and smiled his way through the whole affair.

He was closest with Harry, who he truly seemed to adore, but he didn't shy away from conversation with anyone and was beginning to appreciate Ginny's dry and mischievous humour. It seemed to help that Teddy clearly thought he could walk on water and their ever-growing bond, coupled with Draco's growing confidence, instilled in him a beautiful sense of self-worth.

"Come on, folks! We need a quidditch game," Ginny declared, looking so beautiful in a flowery summer dress that Neville couldn't believe she wanted to perch on a broom in it.

"We're supposed to play against an ex-England player and a current one?" George protested, standing with his arms around Harry's waist, his chin on the man's shoulder.

"Scared, big brother?" Ginny asked with a grin.

"I can kick your arse any day," George replied, although Neville wasn't sure he truly believed that.

"You're on, Weasley," Harry said with a glint in his eye.

"Love, are you sure you should?" George asked, turning Harry around in his arms. "I mean, you've only just – "

"Yvie was born 26 days ago, I've been signed off by the healers, not to mention that I am a bloody healer myself. I assure you, I am perfectly fine to play a game of quidditch in my own garden."

"You can't blame me for being cautious," George said unapologetically. "You're not exactly renowned for taking care of yourself."

"Just for that I'm going on the opposite team and if we win you can do the washing up for a week."

"I already do the washing up," George said with a laugh as they all headed off for the broom shed.

Draco handed Neville the baby and joined the others with a look of excitement. Neville settled Yvie into the crook of his arm and joined Luna in the gazebo as the others divided themselves into teams, George loudly declaring that Oliver and Ginny had to be on separate ones.

"Suits you," Luna said with a smile, nodding towards Yvie.

Neville smiled back and looked down at the sleeping baby. He wasn't as comfortable with her as Draco was and he still feared doing the wrong thing but he wasn't as terrified as he thought he'd be.

"One day perhaps," Neville said softly. "You've got my back if she starts crying, right?"

"I don't know how much use I'll be. Babies baffle me, I prefer nargles."

The match kicked off and Neville and Luna watched as things became heated fast. They were a competitive bunch with a lot of skilled players and Neville smiled as he was reminded of his school days. Yvie stirred a little amongst the noise but remained soundly asleep, despite the shouts and hollers from her fathers.

"Draco looks so well," Luna said as she watched him swoop through the sky. "Happy and fulfilled with his whole life ahead of him."

"I love seeing him like this. I love knowing that he'll never go back to that life."

"Not with you by his side. Your auras are connected, you know, just as strongly as George and Harry's. It's quite remarkable; those sorts of connections are very rare."

Neville couldn't subdue the grin that fought its way onto his face. "I've never felt anything like it, Luna," he confided. "I just…love him so much. I never thought I'd find that."

"You deserve it, so does he. I'm glad you could heal each other's wounds."

"So am I, Luna. So am I."

* * *

Neville awoke the day of his birthday alone in bed. The wonderful smells coming from the kitchen downstairs told him he had nothing to worry about and he stretched in the sunlight with a content smile. He let himself wallow in fuzzy-headed sleepiness for a few minutes before he slipped out of bed and shrugged himself into a clean t-shirt over his jogging bottoms.

As expected, he found Draco in the kitchen, pottering happily amid an array of food. "Oh you've spoilt it!" he said with his hands on his hips. "I was going to bring you this in bed."

"You hate eating in bed, love. You can't stand the crumbs," Neville said with a smile as he leant forward to claim a chaste peck.

"It's the thought that counts. Happy birthday, handsome," Draco said, claiming another kiss for himself. "Now sit down, this is all nearly ready."

Draco had made enough to feed the 5,000 and there were bagels and pastries as well as the enormous cooked breakfast he'd made. He'd brewed Neville's favourite coffee and squeezed fresh orange juice as well.

"You're spoiling me," Neville said as he spread cream cheese on a bagel and piled a load of scrambled eggs on top of it.

"Of course I am. What else am I supposed to do for my boyfriend on his birthday?"

"You know, I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of hearing you call me that," Neville said, knowing he looked like a dreamy schoolboy.

"Good thing too, I like calling you it."

Draco's foot slid up and down his calf, the gesture affectionate rather than sexual, and Neville revelled in the happiness of his birthday morning. He'd never done much for his birthday in the past, and indeed he'd insisted on not making too much of a fuss for this one, but it was lovely to be able to spend it with Draco.

"Another croissant?" Draco offered, shoving the plate under Neville's nose.

"If I eat another thing I'll actually explode," Neville said with a groan, leaning back in his chair. "This was all fantastic, I feel like a king."

Draco smiled and said, "You deserve to be treated like one."

He hopped out of his chair and disappeared for a moment before coming back into the kitchen bearing a beautifully wrapped box. He cleared the plates and placed the present in front of Neville with a nervous smile.

"It's not much," he said quietly. "I couldn't afford anything too fancy…but I hope you like it."

"I didn't expect anything, love," Neville said gently. "You didn't have to."

"Open it," Draco said, his cheeks flushing.

Neville did as instructed, and, beneath reams of tissue paper, he found an exquisite plant pot, teal-coloured with flecks of gold inlaid into the surface.

"Oh this is lovely," Neville said with a smile as he examined it.

"I thought maybe you could use it for that hybrid rose you're growing for your mum. I asked Greta to put all the right charms and things on it so it should be just right."

Neville reached up and tugged on Draco's shirt, pulling him down into a soft, sweet kiss. "Thank you, darling. It's perfect."

Draco beamed and said, "Right, well you go and pop your feet up for a bit while I go and run a quick birthday errand."

"What are you up to?" Neville asked, his hand resting on Draco's waist.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. I'll be back soon."

Draco apparated away to wherever he was going and Neville grabbed one of his herbology journals and headed for the gardens. It was a beautiful day and he stretched out on a lounger, soaking in the sunshine. He felt peaceful and content, and he couldn't remember a happier birthday.

It was only half an hour or so later he heard the pop of apparition, sounding Draco's return. He looked over the back of the sun lounger and nearly fell off it when he saw Draco strolling through the gardens arm-in-arm with Alice. He scrambled to his feet and looked at them both in surprise.

"Hi Mum," he said breathlessly, startled but pleased.

Alice smiled at him and Draco settled her in one of the comfy garden chairs. "The hospital agreed to a home visit. Don't worry, I have everything she needs, I'll make sure she's taken care of."

Neville was so stunned he didn't know what to say. Words failed him and all he could do was reach out and wrap a hand around Draco's neck and pull him in for a tender kiss. "Thank you," he whispered, his forehead pressed against the man's.

Together he and Draco showed Alice the greenhouses and the vast gardens, explaining his work and the various projects he was overseeing. He was proud of the things he'd achieved and he'd never imagined that he would ever be able to show his mother all he had accomplished.

Alice was enchanted, especially by the more exotic plants that Neville had cultivated. Her eyes lit up and she reached out to delicately run her fingers over the petals and leaves of each plant that took her fancy. Every now and again she would tug on Neville's sleeve and point to a plant or flower and, delighted, Neville would tell her all about it.

They took her on a tour of the house and she smiled happily at all the people she was introduced to. Draco was so attentive to her, so kind and gentle that Neville had no worries about her being there with them. He made sure that she wasn't tired or overwhelmed and Alice, in turn, seemed to adore him.

They eventually retired to the cottage garden and Draco served them a wonderful afternoon tea, which they enjoyed in the pleasant summer sun. Neville had never spent a birthday with his mother, nor had he ever imagined he would, and he felt giddy and overwhelmed with emotion at how wonderful it was.

"Aren't you proud of him, Alice?" Draco asked as he spread jam on a scone for her and cut it into smaller pieces that she could manage more easily. He had a way of taking care of Alice without babying her and all his interactions with her were so gentle and natural.

"Don't make me blush," Neville said. "I just hope you like the rose I'm growing for you, Mum."

"Rose," Alice whispered, and both Neville and Draco stared at her in shock. Alice was almost entirely non-verbal and in all his years Neville had only heard her speak once or twice.

He swallowed around a lump in his throat and reached for Draco's hand, squeezing tightly and smiling so he didn't worry Alice. "That's right, Mum, a rose. You can have it with you at the hospital when it's ready."

"An original Neville Longbottom," Draco said with a smile. "It'll be worth a fortune one day."

When it became clear that Alice was tiring, Draco gathered her things and prepared to take her back to the hospital. Neville wrapped her up in a hug, so full of emotion he felt he might burst. He pulled back and she reached a hand up to gently pat his cheek and murmured softly, "Birthday."

"Oh Mum," Neville whispered, and Draco gave him a firm hug before he apparated Alice back to the hospital.

Neville retreated to the cottage, feeling taken aback but happily so. It had been so surreal to see his mother outside of the environs of the hospital and to be able to show her his work had been a dream that he'd never let himself hope for.

It wasn't long before Draco returned and he called to Neville from the living room as he stepped through the floo. "Get that champagne out of the fridge, darling. Good old Harry sending it over, you can always count on him to – hmph!"

Neville grabbed the man as he entered the kitchen and pulled him into a kiss that had them both gasping for breath. "You are bloody incredible," he breathed as he released him, "and I love you so bloody much."

"It was nothing," Draco said, winding his arms around Neville's neck.

"It was everything," Neville corrected, holding him close. "I feel like you've given me my mother back and it's a gift I thought no one could give me. You're amazing."

"Nonsense. I just helped the situation."

They retreated to the living room with Harry's bottle of champagne and sat in pleasant conversation for the rest of the evening. Neville was fuzzy-headed and insanely content, gazing soppily at the man sitting next to him.

"Nev, I have something to tell you," Draco said as the night drew closer to midnight.

"Sounds ominous," Neville said with a frown, shifting up on the sofa.

"Look, don't freak out, this isn't as bad as it sounds," Draco said, his tone becoming placating and sending Neville's pulse racing. He watched as the man took a deep breath and said, "I'm moving out."

"You're _what_?" Neville asked, nearly knocking his champagne over in his agitation.

"I said don't freak out," Draco admonished.

"Easy for you to say. The love of your life hasn't just told you he's leaving you."

Draco smiled indulgently at him and reached out to run his fingers through Neville's hair. "I'm not leaving you, you clod, far from it. It's because I love you so much that I'm doing this.

"Ok, you're going to have to talk me through that one."

"Nev," Draco said with a sigh, "you saved me, and that's not hyperbole. You saved my life, you gave me a future but I want that future to be with us as equals. I don't want you to be my saviour for the rest of our lives and I think I need to do this to prove that I can be independent, to put us on a more even footing. I need to know that I can live without you…that I simply made a choice not to."

"Where will you go?" Neville asked, his concern deflating but still feeling unhappy at the thought of losing their domestic set-up.

"Just to the flat above Annie's shop," Draco said with a smile. "I'm not going far. She's asking buttons for it but I need to have something that's mine, that I pay for and manage all by myself."

Neville nodded. "You'll still…you'll still come over here though, right? And spend the night?"

"Just try and stop me," Draco said, cuddling a little closer. "Nothing's going to change, not really. I just need to do this, you do understand, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Neville said with a sigh, throwing an arm around Draco's shoulders and pulling him tightly against his body. "I'm just going to miss you, I like you being here."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, I'll be here all the time. I just need to prove that I can do this."

"I know," Neville said, placing a kiss to the top of Draco's head. "I support you, it's the right thing to do. Promise me something though?"

"Mm?" Draco said as he nuzzled into Neville's chest.

"We _will_ have that future, right?"

"Oh love, you're stuck with me. The future's you and me together, and that's all there is to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, massive apologies for not doing any review responses. I've been super busy with my new job, which I'm loving, but I'm afraid it's leaving me virutally no time at all. I will endeavour to start replying again as soon as I'm able. Love to you all!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_~New Year's Eve, 2009~_

Glasses were clinking and the atmosphere was filled with lively conversation. Harry and George's home was full of family and friends, all gathered to ring in the new year and welcome a new decade. Neville was supposed to be engaged in a conversation with Ginny about her recent elevation to captain of the England team but his attention was diverted to a particular point in the room.

Draco was standing by the fireplace, Yvie balanced on his hip as he laughed at something Harry was saying. He looked impossibly handsome in fitted black trousers and a dove grey shirt, his hair swept half-up, half-down. Neville couldn't help but be distracted by his boyfriend, especially looking as cute as he did bouncing their goddaughter up and down as she giggled happily.

The toddler really should have been in bed, indeed George was most perturbed about the deviation from his daughter's routine but Harry had told him to wind his neck in. There was no way the little girl would have gone to bed anyway, not with a house full of her favourite people, the top of that list being Draco himself.

Despite the fact that the man was in his final year of his Psychology undergrad, he helped Harry and George with childcare as much as he could. Now 2 ½ years old, Yvie was walking and talking and was a little firecracker. She adored Draco and insisted on being held or carried by him whenever he was around.

"Could you stop being a pathetic sap for five minutes, please?" Ginny said with a huff as she gave him a thump on the shoulder.

"Sorry," Neville said with an apologetic smile, tearing his eyes away from his boyfriend.

"You live with him, for Merlin's sake! Don't you get enough of him at home?" Ginny asked with fond exasperation.

"No," Neville answered honestly, trying to stop his eyes from wandering back to Draco. Draco had lived in Annie's flat for a year before he finally moved back into the cottage with Neville. It had been invaluable for him to build independence but the two men had missed one another and the domesticity they had previously built together.

"Oh go and snog him senseless. You're making me sick."

Neville grinned and kissed her on the cheek before he made a beeline across the room to Draco. Yvie's eyes lit up when she saw him and she reached out to be held, saying, "Uncle Nev!" with a wide smile.

He swept her out of Draco's arms and positioned her on his hip as he leant across and met Draco with a peck on the lips. "Are you behaving yourself?" he asked the man as Yvie began to play with the collar of his shirt.

"I'm trying not to," Draco replied with a smile, sipping at his champagne.

"He's been telling me all about his dissertation," Harry said, looking as proud as Neville felt.

"I have to keep making sure he's not working himself too hard," Neville said, slipping his free arm around Draco's waist.

"I can't take my eye off the ball if I want to be accepted onto the post-grad course," Draco insisted.

"He's so single-minded. He's volunteering with community social workers, assisting in research projects and he has his nose buried in a book every five seconds. I'm amazed he's deigned to come tonight."

"Oh shush," Draco said with a tut. "I have to do everything I can if I want to be Dr Malfoy by 2013."

"I do come over all goose-bumpy when you say Dr Malfoy," Neville said with a grin.

"Put your tongue back in your head, Nev," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"I can't help it, he's gorgeous."

"It's so nice to be with a man of taste," Draco said with a practiced drawl, sounding like the snobby prat they'd all gone to school with.

"Uncle Nev!" Teddy said, appearing at his elbow. "Pa's looking for you."

"Where is he?" Neville asked, realising he hadn't seen George in a while.

"Out in the workshop," Teddy replied as Yvie began grabbing for him. She idolised her brother and had been inconsolable when he'd left for Hogwarts that September.

"It's New Year's Eve!" Neville protested, scandalised. He looked at Harry but the man just shrugged at him.

"You know my husband. No one can stop him when he's got an idea in his head."

"Well what does he need me for?"

"He's faffing around with plants," Teddy said, as though that explained everything.

"Some people," Neville huffed, handing Yvie to her father and ruffling Teddy's hair as he went, missing the conspiratorial smile that passed between Draco and Harry.

He found George, as Teddy had said, in the workshop, an apron thrown over his smart clothes. He was bent over the workbench, which was littered with mess, staring down at it all with a frown.

"It's bloody freezing out here, George," Neville complained as he shut the door behind himself.

"Ah Nev, just the man! Let me pick your brains – how small can a person grow Devil's Snare?"

Neville spent twenty minutes going through the finer points of cultivating the tricky plant. He had learnt long ago to never ask what George's plans were and to simply assist where he was asked to. George made notes with gleeful eyes and Neville could see the cogs in the man's head turning with each piece of information.

"Excellent," George said, his 'mad scientist' mode fully activated. "Now – "

"George, it's New Year's Eve and I'm freezing my knackers off. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Oh fine, fine. You have to strike while the iron's hot, you know!"

"Bloody obsessed, that's what you are," Neville grumbled as they headed back to the house. "Why is it so quiet in here?" he asked as they came in through the kitchen. "Where's everyone gone?"

"Best find out, eh?" George said with a grin and Neville eyed him suspiciously before he ventured for the living room.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw all the guests had moved to the side of the room and Draco was standing in the centre of it, his hands behind his back, smiling at him. The room was bathed in candlelight, rose petals charmed to fall through the air and piano music was emanating throughout the room.

He glanced over to Harry, who was handing Yvie over to George while Teddy stood next to them, bouncing on the balls of his feet with a wide grin. He looked questioningly at them but got nothing in return and so turned back to Draco.

The man approached him and took his hands in his own and took a deep breath before he said, "Nearly three years ago to the day, you came back into my life and it isn't exaggerating to say that you saved me. You took me in and gave me a second chance and every day since I've fallen more and more in love with you.

"The thought of spending my live without you is one I can't even begin to entertain and I want nothing more than to build a future with you. Neville, would you do me the greatest honour of my life and consent to be my husband?"

Neville was quite literally struck dumb and he stared at Draco in shock. His head began to spin and his mouth went dry as a hundred different thoughts began to converge in his mind.

"Say yes, you tosser!" George shouted, snapping Neville out of his spell.

"Yes!" he sputtered. "Of course I bloody will."

Draco launched himself into Neville's arms and Neville held onto him tightly as a grin spread across his face. The room burst into applause and Neville's ears began to ring as his pulse thundered.

"I love you," Draco whispered as he held him close.

"I love you too, and I'm going to marry you."

"You'd bloody well better."

* * *

_~September 2012~_

Neville knew there were a great many things he should be paying attention to but all he could focus on was the man in his arms. They swayed to soft, gentle music, as others around them were doing, but they only had eyes for one another. Draco looked devastatingly handsome in midnight blue robes, his hair tied loosely at the nape of his neck, and Neville was more captivated than ever by him.

"What are you smiling at, Mr Longbottom?" Draco asked, his arms wound around Neville's neck.

"My husband," Neville replied, the word making him giddy.

"Say it again," Draco commanded, looking as elated as Neville felt.

"My husband," Neville repeated, pulling the man a little closer, "and I have the ring on my finger to prove it."

"I keep thinking it's a dream and I'm going to wake up," Draco said, his eyes shining so brightly that Neville thought he could lose himself in them.

"It's no dream, love. You're stuck with me now."

Draco grinned and said, "Say it one more time."

Neville pulled him close and whispered, "My husband."

Their wedding day had been everything they had both hoped for. The weather was beautiful and the modest barn they had chosen for their venue looked stunning in the middle of rural Hampshire. Their closest friends were in attendance and the atmosphere was full of laughter and cheer. Neville was on cloud nine and the reincarnation of Voldemort himself couldn't have wiped the smile from his face.

"Uncle Nev! Uncle Drake! Dance with me!" came a familiar voice before Yvie barrelled into both of them. Draco scooped her up onto his hip and Neville wrapped his arms around both of them.

"You were the best flower girl in the world, darling," Neville told her, placing a kiss to her copper head.

At 5 years old, Yvie was an uncanny copy of Ginny. She was little and dainty but she had the personality of someone ten times her size. She was feisty and headstrong with a very caring and protective nature and she her adored her godfathers more than anyone else in the world.

"It wouldn't have been a wedding without you," Draco added as the little girl beamed at them.

"Uncle Draco, are there any more of those profit-roles around?" Yvie asked with a practiced expression of wide-eyed innocence that she knew never failed to get her what she wanted.

Draco looked over the top of her head and grinned at Neville, saying, "Why don't we go and look, my darling? I'm sure we can rustle you up something."

He leant over and gave Neville a quick peck on the lips before carrying Yvie off to the buffet table. She looked so adorable in her lavender dress with its white sash and matching shoes; it would have been impossible for Draco to deny her anything.

"She's got him wrapped around her little finger," came a voice beside Neville and he turned to see Teddy looking at Draco and Yvie with a smirk.

"So have you," Neville told him with a smile, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders. At 14, Teddy was a tall and gangly teenager with the same gentle and friendly nature he'd had as a child. "You know he adores you."

Teddy smiled and said, "Are you happy, Uncle Nev? You look like you might burst."

"I can't remember ever feeling happier," Neville told him, adding in a squeeze for good measure. He was giddy and was fairly certain his face would be aching tomorrow after so much smiling. "Thanks for being our ring bearer."

"My pleasure, especially as it got me a free pass from school for the day."

"You love school," Neville said with a fond smile and Teddy grinned at him. He had just begun his 4th year at Hogwarts and did indeed love his time there. He was a good pupil, excelling at Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology and Potions, and he had a nice circle of friends he'd worked hard to cultivate.

His first year had been a little fraught; he'd been known as the biological son of a werewolf and the adopted son of Harry Potter. A few people had tried to take the piss and others had tried to befriend him solely because of his supposed fame but he'd been taken under the wing of a few well-intentioned 4th years, one of whom was now Head Boy.

He'd found friends amongst his own year, across all the houses and was now a content and focused student. He was still as obsessed as ever by plants and animals and he had his heart and mind set on attending The Centre for Natural Magic after he'd graduated from Hogwarts.

"I wish I could come home more often though," Teddy said with a sigh. "I miss you all when I'm away and Yvie changes so much between terms. A bunch of us are going to petition the governors to make weekend home visits an option."

"Sounds like a good idea. I know your dads miss you and Yvie's always inconsolable when you go back after the holidays. Boarding really does seem a bit archaic in this day and age."

Teddy nodded. "I miss my family and, as much as I love Hogwarts, I don't want to miss out on spending time with you all."

"We miss you too, Ted," Neville said, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Nothing's the same without you."

"That I believe. Right, I'm going to see if Vic wants a dance."

Teddy went in search of his friend while Neville mingled. Draco was still at Yvie's beck and call and was enchanting napkins for her amusement while happy chatter permeated through the pretty barn. Neville's eyes went to Harry and George, who were gently slow dancing on the dancefloor, looking just as in love as they had done at their own wedding ten years ago.

They were one of the happiest couples Neville knew. They were solid and steady, the best of friends as well as life partners and their relationship seemed to go from strength to strength as the years went on. They were devoted parents and Teddy and Yvie were happy and healthy, the products of a happy home life.

Neville watched as they danced with one another, smiling and laughing with eyes only for each other. "Sickening, aren't they?" asked Ginny as she came to join him.

"Absolutely," Neville agreed. "You look beautiful, Gin. You really are glowing."

"Morning sickness in the morning, glowing in the afternoon," she said with a smile, a hand on her growing bump.

"It's going well though? You're ok?"

"Clean bill of health from my healer brother-in-law," she said with a nod in Harry's direction. "This one will be with us in January."

"I'm thrilled for you, Gin. You and Oliver will make great parents, just leave it a few months before you take the kid up on a broom!"

The party continued into the evening and time seemed to fly with alarming speed. The whole day had been a whirlwind of smiling and laughing, and Neville wanted to etch each moment of it into his memory.

"Ladies and gents, if I could beg your attention for just a moment," Harry said, standing up and clinking his glass. "Now, as we all know, our dear friends will be postponing their honeymoon as Draco is too committed to his studies to go anywhere right now."

"But," George said, standing up next to his husband, "we felt that this night, at least, should be marked somewhere special." He levitated a rose over to them and said, "Gents, if you would please take hold of the rose we'll activate the portkey and it will take you to where you'll be spending your wedding night."

The guests all wolf-whistled and Neville and Draco grinned as they reached out and took hold of the rose "Alright folks," said Harry, "raise your glasses and join me in toasting the newlyweds."

The barn rang out with a chorus of 'the newlyweds' as Neville felt a tug behind his navel and he and Draco were transported away in the blink of an eye. They landed in an opulent hotel room, a bottle of champagne and a bouquet of roses on the coffee table, a card propped up beside them. Neville retrieved it and read,

' _To our dearest friends,_

_In lieu of a honeymoon, we hope you enjoy a weekend stay in this beautiful hotel room in the wizarding quarter of Paris. Congratulations on this next step of your lives together, we know you will be very happy for many years to come._

_With all our love,_

_Harry & George'_

"This is beautiful," Draco said, wandering around the huge suite and letting his hand trail over the exquisite furniture. "They've spoilt us."

"It's stunning," Neville agreed. "The perfect end to a perfect day."

"It has been perfect, hasn't it?" Draco asked with a smile, and Neville held his hand out to him. Draco took it and let himself be pulled into Neville's arms and into a soft and gentle kiss.

They moved slowly to the bed and hands leisurely began undoing buttons, their formal robes falling to the floor as shirts and trousers eventually followed. Skin pressed against skin as Neville lowered his husband to the bed, wrapping themselves around one another as their need for each other grew.

Neville's lips found Draco's pale, sensitive throat, the man moaning and arching beneath him as Neville's hand moved downwards to wrap around Draco's hardness. "Can't believe I'm making love to my husband," Neville whispered and Draco all but purred.

"Oh God, say it again," he groaned, and Neville smiled against the man's skin.

"My husband," he murmured softly, letting his hand dance over Draco's balls and lower still to brush his fingers over the man's entrance. A muttered charm and his fingers were coated in lube and he began to tease the tight muscle, Draco writhing beneath him appreciatively.

"I love you," Neville whispered as he breached Draco with one finger then two.

"I love you too," Draco breathed, biting on his lip as a third finger was added, Neville stretching him open with care. "Need you inside me, please Nev."

"I love it when you beg," Neville said wickedly, crooking his fingers and making Draco keen with pleasure.

"Please," Draco repeated. "Want my husband inside me."

"You fight dirty," Neville said with a growl, removing his fingers and settling between Draco's thighs. Draco tilted his hips up and Neville entered him in one long, slow thrust, Draco sighing with pleasure as Neville slid all the way to the hilt.

Everything was chased from Neville's mind apart from the man beneath him, the man whose body accepted him thrust after thrust, arching up to meet each one. He kissed the skin of his shoulders and throat as he built a slow and steady rhythm, knowing how much Draco loved to feel each thrust, to savour his pleasure as it grew.

He captured the man's lips as he buried himself deeper and deeper, Draco's tongue winding with his own. He was swept along by the ecstasy of the moment, caught up entirely in the beauty of making love to his husband. Draco's legs wound around his waist, urging him ever forward, joining them in the most intimate way possible.

"Oh fuck, Nev," Draco breathed as his hips canted in time with the rhythm Neville had set. "You feel so fucking good. Need you to touch me."

"Can I make you beg again?" Neville murmured, angling his thrusts differently and making Draco's breath hitch.

"Please fucking touch me," he groaned, pressing his hardness against Neville's stomach.

"You want my hand on you?" Neville whispered as he continued to thrust, letting his left hand move over Draco's chest, across hard nipples and down the taut stomach.

"Stop teasing me," Draco moaned, his cheeks flushed, looking absolutely beautiful.

Neville lowered his hand and finally wrapped it around Draco's erection, Draco letting his head fall back against the pillows as Neville stroked him firmly. Draco pushed himself into the man's hand as Neville thrust into him hard, his pace increasing.

"Oh yes, fuck yes," Draco moaned, and Neville buried his face in the man's neck as his pleasure began to build inside him. He gripped Draco just as he knew his husband liked and, after a few more strokes, Draco came with a gasp of pleasure, spurting all over Neville's hand. Neville thrust hard and fast a few more times and found his own release, his body shuddering as his orgasm overtook him.

"How's that for a start to married life?" Draco asked as Neville gently withdrew, casting a cleaning charm and shifting so he wouldn't crush him.

"Pretty bloody good," Neville said with a smile, pressing a kiss to the man's temple. "Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too, husband."

* * *

_~June 2016~_

"Enough nonsense! Everyone on the train please, I have no intention of being responsible for getting you reprobates home!"

"Bye, Professor Longbottom!"

"Have a great summer, Professor Longbottom!"

Neville smiled and waved at them all as they finally boarded the train, another year of school under their belts as they returned home to their families. The train pulled out of the station and Neville turned his attention to the figure sitting on a bench and sniffing into a tissue.

"Oh Ted," he said with an affectionate laugh, sitting beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"I didn't think it would affect me like this, it's just…it's the end of an era, no more Hogwarts."

"I find it hard to believe myself. Seems like only yesterday you were a chubby toddler and now here you are, 18 years old and graduating from Hogwarts."

"It feels so strange. I'm going to miss my friends so much."

"You'll still see them. Look at me and your dads – nearly 20 years after graduating and I still can't get rid of them."

Teddy laughed and sniffed, saying, "I suppose you're right. It just feels so odd."

"I know, love. Come on, let's get your Uncle Drake and get you home."

"At least I don't have to call you Professor Longbottom anymore, that's just been weird," Teddy said as they began their leisurely stroll through Hogsmeade.

Neville had been the Herbology professor at Hogwarts for the last three years, having decided to take a back seat in his business and focus on something that would be a little more slow-paced. He didn't live in the castle but he and Draco had a little cottage in Hogsmeade they lived in during term time, while they returned to their cottage in Hampshire during the holidays.

He loved teaching and he still guest-edited for several Herbology journals. He was still the majority partner in his business and he consulted on research projects from time to time but he was happy in his present work/life balance. It had been odd to teach Teddy but he'd always been respectful and had never taken advantage of their family connection.

"Do you think you'll be ready for The Centre of Natural Magic in September?" Neville asked as they walked through the sunny streets.

"It's a bit daunting but it's been my dream since I was a kid. Dad and Pa are being unbearable though; they keep saying that I'm not their baby anymore and that they can't bear the thought of me being an adult."

"Jesus," Neville said with a laugh. "They're ridiculous."

"Thank God they have Yvie to deflect all their attention onto. I almost feel sorry for the poor kid."

"I'm surprised they're ok with you apprenticing with your Uncle Charlie for the summer."

"I've had to agree to come home every weekend and firecall twice a week," Teddy said, rolling his eyes. "They're mental."

Neville smiled. Teddy loved it really; he adored his parents and he was never happier than when he was at home. It would be a wrench for them all when he moved to The Centre's main campus in Norway but Neville knew that Teddy would love it and that he'd excel there.

They arrived at Neville's cottage and he let them in, calling to Draco who shouted his hello down the stairs. "Wait here a sec, Ted," Neville said. "I'll go and see if he's ready then we can be on our way."

Teddy nodded, making himself at home as Neville went upstairs in search of his husband. He smiled as he heard Draco's voice drifting from the far room and he stopped in the doorway to watch the man sitting in the plush rocking chair, enchanting their 7 month old son with an array of pretty charms.

"And how are my two favourite fellas?" he asked as the little boy clapped his hands in delight.

"Well someone's been in a mood all morning because he missed his daddy, but he's decided to cheer up now we've had story-time."

"Story-time cheers me up too," Neville said with a smile as his son started wriggling and reaching for him. He reached out and scooped the boy off Draco's lap, peppering him with kisses as he held him close.

"I missed his daddy too," Draco said, getting to his feet and greeting Neville with a kiss.

"I've only been gone a morning," Neville said, laughing as the little boy kept grabbing his nose.

"We still missed you."

"Big softie," Neville said, claiming another kiss. "Come on, Ted's downstairs. Are you ready to go?"

"All set," Draco said, grabbing the baby bag and following Neville back down to the living room. "There's my big, grown up graduate!" he said, wrapping Teddy up in a hug, which was always an amusing sight as Teddy was nearly a foot taller.

"Hi Uncle Drake," Teddy said with a grin. Even at 18, Teddy had never quite lost his hero-worship of Draco and it was clear to the whole family how much he adored him. The feeling was mutual and Draco spent as much time with his cousin as he could.

"Oh sweetheart, you've been crying," Draco said, cupping Teddy's chin and looking at his puffy eyes.

"I'm ok," Teddy said with a sheepish smile. "The goodbyes just got a bit weepy. Aw, hey Luke," he said as the little boy started babbling at him. "Let's have a cuddle."

Neville handed his son over, who giggled happily in Teddy's arms. Teddy was a natural with children and, being the oldest in a family packed with cousins, he had plenty of experience with them. He was patient and gentle, and thought nothing of spending an entire afternoon letting himself be used as a climbing frame.

"Who's my gorgeous boy?" he cooed at Luke. "Gosh, he looks so much like both of you. I can't say who he favours more."

"Given that I carried him for nine months, it would be nice if he looked like me," Draco said with a wry smile, tickling Luke under the chin.

The 7 month old was a sunny-natured little boy with a gentle temperament and an easy-going disposition. He had Draco's grey eyes and Neville's dark hair and did indeed look like a perfect mix of both men.

"Come on then, folks. Let's get going. You first, Ted."

Neville retrieved his son from Teddy's arms and, one by one, they all stepped through the floo to Harry's and George's. The large kitchen was empty but floating enchanted letters told them to head out to the garden. They did so and were met by all the assembled family, gathered under a banner that read, 'Welcome home, Teddy!', who greeted him with a loud cheer.

"I can't believe my baby's a graduate," Harry said as he and George enveloped him in a suffocating hug.

"Dad! Pa!" Teddy protested with a laugh, trying to free himself from his insane parents. "Would you two let me breathe?"

"Oh look at him, George," Harry said, pulling back and looking at Teddy. "He's so grown up."

"Don't set yourself off again, love," George said as he ruffled Teddy's hair, the only one who was tall enough to be able to do so. "He's been crying all morning," he told Teddy with a grin.

"So have you!" Harry accused, and Draco and Neville exchanged fond looks at the antics of their closest friends.

"Get out of my way," Yvie said as she pushed her parents aside and launched herself at her brother.

"There's my girl," Teddy said, hauling her into his arms. "Happy birthday, princess. Thank you for sharing your party with me."

"I'm 9 today, Teddy," she told him with a proud smile.

"I know you are, darling. So grown up!"

The rest of the family gathered around to congratulate Teddy, and Neville and Draco said their hellos to everyone, people taking turns cooing at Luke. It was a beautiful sunny day and Harry and George's garden provided the perfect backdrop for their little gathering.

"Bet you're glad to see the end of term, Nev," Ginny said as she kept an eye on her daughter, who was running after the lolloping great dog Harry and George had acquired a couple of years ago.

"I'm always glad to see the end of term," Neville replied with a laugh.

"Don't listen to him, Gin," Draco said, throwing an arm out to catch the little girl before she tripped over her own feet. "He loves teaching, I've never seen him happier." He scooped her up onto his lap and she giggled happily as Bruno, the huge lab cross, licked her face.

"It has its moments," Neville agreed. "And it allows me more time to spend at home."

"Mum, can I have some ice cream?" Maddie asked as she bounced on Draco's knee.

"Go and ask your dad, darling. He's over there with Uncle Percy."

Maddie hopped off Draco's lap and went tearing off up the garden, Bruno following her at a gallop. "That child never walks anywhere, does she?" Draco asked as he watched her collide with Oliver's legs, her father sweeping her up into his arms.

"She's like a hurricane. Merlin knows why I'm having another," Ginny said, patting her bump.

"Still convinced it's a boy?" Neville asked as he reached out and twined his fingers through Draco's.

"Almost certainly. A nice, calm boy who sleeps all the time and barely cries."

"With your genes? Dream on," Draco said with a snort.

The afternoon was filled with laughter and conversation. The children all played games while the adults took turns supervising and everyone wanted to talk to Teddy about his plans for the future. It was lovely to see the man he was blossoming into and Neville knew that George and Harry were incredibly proud of him.

He reclined in his chair and surveyed all the people milling around the garden. They had all become his family over the years and he was never happier than when they all managed to get together. His son had a whole host of aunties, uncles and cousins, something he himself had never had, and it made his heart glad to think of Luke growing up surrounded by so much love and affection.

"Oh Luna and Blaise have just arrived," Draco said, spying their friends coming out of the farmhouse. "I'll just go and say hi."

"See if you can hunt down our son while you're at it," Neville called after him.

"It's alright, Nev. I've got him," George said as he came to sit with him, Luke balanced on his hip.

"I do like how we all pass our children around," Ginny said with a grin as she retrieved Luke's teddy when he dropped it and handed it back to him.

"Benefits of a big family, Gin," George said, handing Luke over to Neville, the little boy nestling into Neville's chest.

Neville kissed the top of his son's head and revelled in the closeness. Luke was a very tactile little baby and he was always seeking his parents out for cuddles, which Neville and Draco were only too happy to provide him with. Neither of them had had much affection throughout their childhood and they were determined to give their son all the things they'd never had.

"How's Drake getting on being back at work part-time?" Ginny asked.

"He misses Luke like crazy but he's relieved to be back I think. You know how he worries about his patients."

Draco had been a licensed clinical psychologist for three years now and he worked with homeless teens and those with addiction issues. He also worked with the children at Hogwarts, providing, for the first time, mental health support for those who needed it. Between then, he and Neville managed their schedules in order to look after Luke and Luna helped when both were busy.

"He's very dedicated," George said, looking over to where Draco was talking to Luna and Blaise, Yvie attached to his hip.

"He's found his calling, that's for sure. He worked bloody hard enough for it."

Harry came and joined them, throwing himself into a chair with a wistful sigh and taking a large glug of his wine. George grinned and threw his arm around his husband's shoulders, saying, "Have you been crying again, love?"

"My baby's leaving home," Harry said woefully, leaning into George's hold. "My beautiful little boy."

"He's 18, love. You can't call him that anymore."

"He's my son, I can call him whatever I like."

"I just hope Yvie copes with him going," George said, pressing a kiss to Harry's temple. "She idolises him; she only coped with him being away at Hogwarts because he used to visit on the weekends."

"He'll still come home," Neville assured them both, "he'd miss you all too much."

Luke nestled in tighter to his chest and began to rub at his eyes with his little fists. "I might just put this one down for a nap," he said, getting to his feet and holding the little boy closer.

"Use the study, Nev. Quietest part of the house."

Neville took Luke back inside and set up the travel cot they'd brought with them. He cuddled Luke to his chest and rocked him gently, the little boy snuffling against his shirt as he began to fall asleep.

"That's my boy," Neville murmured softly, feeling his son's heartbeat against his own. "Daddy's got you."

He felt Luke slowly drift off to sleep and he carefully placed him in the travel cot, covering him up and making sure his teddy was within reach. He leant over the cot and indulged himself in watched his son sleep, the little boy's expression peaceful as his chest rose and fell.

"I can't stop myself from watching him either," came Draco's murmured voice in his ear as his husband's arms wrapped around his waist.

"He's pretty perfect, isn't he?" Neville said, leaning back against Draco with a smile.

"Mm, even at 3am with an exploding nappy," Draco said with a laugh. "I can't believe we made something so beautiful."

"I can," Neville said softly.

"You old romantic."

Neville turned around in Draco's arms and tucked a strand of dark blond hair behind the man's ear, his wedding ring glinting in the sunlight as he did so. "God you're beautiful," he said, wondering how he'd managed to get so lucky.

"You trying to get your leg over, Mr Longbottom?" Draco asked, pulling himself closer.

"Is it working?"

"Play your cards right and I'll see what I can do later."

Neville grinned and rand his hands up and down the man's sides. "Don't tell my husband though. He gets terribly jealous."

"Possessive type is he?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ooh awfully. He wants me to himself all the time."

"Can't say I blame him. No one in their right mind would share you."

Neville cupped Draco's chin gently and leant forward for a kiss, pressing their lips together softly. "Have I told you I love you today?"

"Only ten times. You've a way to go before you reach your usual fifty."

"I love you," Neville said, holding the man tightly, "my husband, father of my son."

"I love you too. Always will."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for now, folks. Thanks for coming along on this journey with me, I really hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and let me know, I'd love to hear what you thought.
> 
> There is another Neville/Draco in the works, this time a marriage fic! I know, guys, I know, I just can't help myself. It's going to be a little slower in coming because I have so little time to write at the moment but keep a lookout for it. Love to you all xx

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Please let me know.


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